Ascension
by Raidersrule76
Summary: Just weeks after Trigon's defeat, a new threat sets it's sights on the Titans, Raven specifically. As she prepares for the coming battles, she finds solace and comfort in the most unlikely source imaginable. Third in a five part series.
1. Passion

RR76: Here it is. Part three in the Carson series. Ascension. This story, the main focus is Raven. She will be the central figure.

Also, you will all have to suffer through my terrible rendition of...A LOVE TRIANGLE! Dun dun dunnnnn...Sorry to anyone who no likey.You can figure out who the three are for yourselves.

Rated M for graphic depictions of torture and death. And a buttload of violence and swearing. YAY VIOLENCE! And to a lesser extent, YAY SWEARING!

So, enjoy. I dare you.

**Responses (from the last chapter of Things that go bump in the night)**

**Rory: According to Carson, yes.**

**Queenie: S'okay. There were circumstances. Hope I didn't disappoint you with the lack of a sledgehammer. This'll be more dramatic...I hope.**

**im in a kill people mood: Only simple phrases. Like, "Hello, how are you," or "Why do you like the stupid President?"**

**SaintH: We shall mourn the loss of 3rd Wall. Here's part three.**

**Don't own, don't sue, don't flame. Or...Nah.**

**HEY! YOU! YEAH YOU! YOU SEE THAT LITTLE OPTION MENU THING DOWN THERE? AFTER YOU'RE DONE READING THE CHAPTER, SELECT SUBMIT REVIEW, CLICK GO, AND TELL ME WHAT YOU FRICKIN' THINK OF THE STORY! COME ON, IS IT REALLY THAT HARD? JUST A LITTLE BUTTON! WOULDN'T TAKE TWO MINUTES! SO GO! DO IT! NOW!**

One year ago...

_Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping...waiting... And though unwanted... unbidden... it will stir... open its jaws, and howl. It speaks to us... guides us... Passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have?_

* * *

Beast Boy walked down the path to the inner sanctum of the cavern, his footsteps echoing loudly in the silence. He had finally come to terms with his feelings for Terra, and was ready to move on. But before he could...he had to say one last goodbye. Granted, to what amounted to a statue in the center of an underground chamber forgotten by all, but it meant alot to him. Closure. That's all I need. I need closure... he thought to himself. 

The chamber came into sight and Beast Boy gasped at what he saw: A teenage girl, about 13 or 14, lay where the statue of Terra once stood. She had blonde hair and a metal suit that gleamed softly in the slivers of moonlight that came through the roof of the cavern. A smile grew on Beast Boy's face, and tears stung his eyes. He ran to her, saying her name over and over again, thinking to himself _She's alive! Terra's back! Raven's gonna be pissed. Who cares? Terra's back!_

"Terra!" he cried, kneeling next to her unconscious form and gently pushing her to get her awake. She stirred and looked up, blinking repeatedly to clear her vision. "Beast...Boy?" she whispered.

Beast Boy nodded and hugged her tightly. "Terra...I missed you so much..."

Terra smiled and leaned into the embrace. "Beast Boy...I...GAH!" She suddenly shouted in pain and shoved Beast Boy away. He stared in horror at what was happening. Terra was howling in agony, her body glowing with a soft orange light. The light grew and she burst into flame, her cries of pain growing louder. Her hair burnt away and her metal suit glowed white hot before simply falling off her body. Terra's skin heated, and finally started to melt. She looked at Beast Boy and stopped screaming long enough to whisper three last words. "I love you..."

_Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love... the clarity of hatred... and the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear._

Her eyes sizzled and she resumed her screaming. Her face melted off, revealing her skull and her brain, which exploded after an instant. Terra's charred skeleton fell to the ground again, some of the bones exploding into dust. Her skill rolled to Beast Boy's feet and seemed to stare up at him, longing for him. Beast Boy's tears of joy turned to ones of grief, and he fell to his knees, crying openly.

Out of the corner of his eye, in the spot where the plaque had once lain, was a note. Beast Boy sniffed and walked to it, opening it. His features twisted with rage when he saw what it was.

_Beast Boy-_

_I hoped you liked the lightshow. It was a homemade semi-napalm bomb. It injected fuel into Terra's bloodstream and ignited it on command. It was voice activated. To her name. So, Beast Boy, Gar Logan, whoever you are, you just killed the love of your life. Chew on that for a while._

_-Carson_

Beast Boy crumpled the note. His face pulled into an expression of pure rage and hatred. His mouth opened and he let loose from the bottom of his heart all the pain, all the suffering, all the grief he had endured since Terra first entered her stone prison. A howl of primal fury.

* * *

Raven shot awake, panting heavily. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She could feel strong emotions coming from the center of the city. Sadness, pain, blind rage...it was all of this mixed into one. She focused, trying to see who it was and opened her eyes. Beast Boy. She dug further, to find the cause of his anger and was shocked. 

Terra. Terra was gone. Forever.

She looked at the clock. 3:30 AM. She sighed. Too early for comforting. Back to sleep. She closed her eyes and lay back down but the emotions tugged at her, preventing her from falling asleep. She could feel Beast Boy moving, heading in another direction, as well as the instincts of a wolf. He was tracking someone.

She put a pillow over her head and shut her eyes tighter. _Sleep Raven. Let him blow off steam. Come on. One sheep. Two sheep. Three sheep. Green sheep. Green sheep? Beast Boy... _She sat up in bed, realizing that she couldn't get to sleep as long as these emotions were bothering her. She gave in and focused once more, searching for Beast Boy's target. A sudden onrush of emotion hit her, and she felt the presence of another. Two beings. Two extremely powerful beings. Both filled with demonic energy. Her eyes widened.

It suddenly dawned on her who Beast Boy was tracking.

* * *

In the canyon outside Jump City... 

The Mark of Scath appeared on the cave wall. "Well done, child," Trigon boomed. "You accomplished your mission. My interests are safe for the time being."

Carson smirked. "Yer welcome," he said. "Now, the matter of my reward. Can you do it? Remove this beast from within me? I can't live with it anymore."

"Alas, this I cannot do," Trigon responded.

Carson's eyes widened. "What?" he asked. "I'm sorry, maybe I heard you incorrectly--did you say you COULDN'T do it?"

"In a word, yes," Trigon replied, his voice filled with satisfaction. "As you said, it was not you who ended Terra's life, but the changeling. You did not accomplish your objective. You sacrificed a clean kill to cause pain to one of the Titans. You failed me."

"Wait," Carson called, as the mark began to disappear. "You can't do this! We had a deal!"

"Goodbye, Carson," Trigon said. "I shall not call on your services again." The mark disappeared, and the cave was pitch black again. He went outside, only to find it was pouring down rain. He sighed, remembering that his current residence lay on the other side of town. He slammed his fist into a boulder out of frustration, causing it to shudder. This was the worse day in his life...

A rock whizzed through the air, catching him on the side of the head. Ow. He rubbed the spot it had hit and looked up at the source of his pain. He smiled smugly. I guess things are looking up after all... he thought.

Beast Boy stood ten feet away, another rock clutched in his left hand. There were tears streaming down his face--or was that just the rain? "You son of a bitch..." Beast Boy growled.

"Well well, lookey here. It's the lover," Carson sneered. "Come seeking revenge against the murderer of your little girlfriend? You should be hitting yourself--after all, you killed her, not me."

"SHUT UP!" he roared, and threw the other rock. Carson stepped out of the way and chuckled softly. "Angry, aren't we? I didn't think you'd grieve so much over a ten-cent whore like her."

Beast Boy's fists grew tighter, till his fingernails dug through the material in his gloves and through his skin. Thick red blood began to drip from his hands. "Well, you shouldn't be keeping Raven waiting. Out with the old, in with the new." His grin grew wider. "Or maybe I should pay her a visit first."

_"SHUT UP BEFORE I TEAR YOU TO FUCKING PIECES!"_ Beast Boy roared and charged him in bear form, swiping at him wildly. Carson sidestepped each one and kicked the boy in the jaw. Beast Boy staggered back and morphed to a T-Rex, gnashing his teeth at the assassin. He chomped at him, but Carson leaped out of the way and onto his back, drew his sword and plunged it through. Beast Boy roared in pain and returned to his normal form. His tears came anew and he attacked, armed with nothing but his fists. Carson knocked away each blow, grabbed Beast Boy's arm, straightened it, held his palm just above his elbow and brought it down, snapping the bone in two. Beast Boy howled, and clutched at his arm, falling to the ground, cradling his broken limb.

Carson chuckled and shook his head. He stopped and listened closely as Beast Boy began to cry again. Not out of pain from his arm. Out of pain from losing Terra. "Why?" he sobbed. "Why did you do it? Why did you murder her?"

Carson squatted down next to him. "Well, maybe it was because I was getting paid to. Then again, maybe it was because she ruined my career. Maybe it was to avenge all the innocents she slaughtered during her little rampage. But maybe," he leaned closer. "Just maybe...it was because I love seeing you suffer. It's the best high there is." Beast Boy's sobs grew louder. "Hey," Carson said softly, speaking as a father would to a distraught son. "I'll bet you want to see her again, doncha?" Beast Boy sniffled and nodded his head. "Well, you can then," he said, standing and unsheathing his sword. "In Hell."

Beast Boy stared at him in terror and Carson brought the sword down. A black aura encased the blade and shattered it just as it was about to hit Beast Boy's neck and decapitate him. Carson looked up.

Raven was hovering two feet above the ground, her arm outstretched, a black aura around her, protecting her from the rain. "Get away from him," she growled.

Carson looked at her, smiling. "Hi Raven. We were just talking about you. Well, I did most of the talking, Beastie here mostly grieved for his fallen whore." He gave the sobbing teen a kick, eliciting a groan of pain.

"Stop that!" Raven said through gritted teeth.

"Hmm, lemme think about that...no," Carson replied. He kicked again, and again, the groans getting softer each time. He looked at Raven and grinned. "I think this one might kill him," he said gleefully, and drew back his foot, aiming for Beast Boy's head.

"NO!" Raven cried, and hurled Carson against a rock with her powers. Carson looked at her and watched, dumbfounded, as she grew 15 feet tall, her eyes glowing red, black tendrils sprouting from inside her robe. "This is new," he said, catatonic.

One tendril shot at him, wrapping around his wrist. Carson drew his knife and cut through it, only to have a thousand more fly at him from all directions. He leaped into the air and drew his revolver, firing wildly at Raven. Screens blocked each shot, and another tendril reached up and slapped the weapon out of his hand, the wrapped around his waist. More tendrils came, wrapping around his arms and legs, and began to draw him in. Carson lay there, passively, awaiting his imminent doom. He would die with some semblance of honor, at least. The tendrils drew him closer and closer, until he finally disappeared beneath Raven's robe. With that, Raven returned to her normal height and ran to Beast Boy, taking his good arm in her hands and trying to help him to his feet.

Beast Boy pulled away and glared at Raven. "What are you doing; this wasn't your fight!" he growled.

SMACK! Raven slapped him across his face and he fell backward, staring up at her in disbelief. _"Were you trying to get yourself killed?"_ she shouted at him. She couldn't hold up her facade of rage and broke down, throwing her arms around the boy and crying. "I can't lose you," she whispered. Beast Boy returned the embrace and cried with her, the rain mixing with the tears.

"...you're the only one who understands..."

_If we could live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank..._

_Without passion, we'd be truly dead_

* * *

RR76: Woo, long. Longer than normal. So what did you think? Was it too sappy? Tell me. I'm always looking for constructive criticism. Now review please. 

PS: I don't own the little running narration about passion. That belongs to Joss Wheadon.


	2. Memory

RR76: Chapter two of Ascension. Right about now, I've decided to reveal a bit of Carson's backstory. So...read on, I guess. I'll spare you the review rant, since that never works anyway.

By the way, did you know that according to Microsoft Word, Cyborg isn't a word, but Vyborg is? Huh.

**Responses:**

**Rory: Good. We're good. We're all good. Good good good. Good is good. Bad is bad. And it's swearing to a lesser degree. But I'll forgive that 'cuz you saved my life. Ah. Nonexistent darkness. Gotcha. Thanks.**

**SaintH: Well...yeah, I won't lie. He will (eventually) come back. But I'm revealing his background. So be happy.**

**Queenie: Joss Wheadon wrote it. Not I. Glad you had fun. Damn music video...descriptive death is always fun, isn't it? **

**im in a kill people mood: Joss Wheadon is the greatest show-creating person on the face of the Earth. Even if I've never seen Firefly, Angel rocks. So too does Buffy. **

**Don't own, cept Carson, and those guys he knew that one time that I won't reveal who they are yet so yeah read why are you still looking at this get away you lifeless fiend feel mine blade ha die I stab thee smite turkey ham on rye no mayo and a side order of fries to go with pudding and pizza and yummy gravy.**

* * *

One year later... 

Beast Boy sailed through the air and landed against a building with a grunt. He rubbed his head and looked up to see the demon charge him again, his polished claws shining in the bright sun. The demon roared and swung at Beast Boy, hitting nothing but air. The fist of a gorilla slammed into the demon's face and he staggered backward. Robin's explosive disks lodged themselves in the demon's tough hide and exploded; Cyborg's sonic cannon hit it one last time, finishing it off.

The smoke cleared. The three Titans stared down at what was left of the demon. Bits and pieces of demon hide and muscle rained from the sky, one landing on Beast Boy's head. He gagged and felt his breakfast rise. "I'm suddenly not in the mood for lunch..." he groaned, throwing the piece of flesh from his head.

"This is the third one this week, where do all these demons keep coming from?" Robin asked, frustrated.

"Probably didn't get the memo that the world hasn't ended," Cyborg suggested, staring at the spot where the demon had exploded. "These guys aren't getting any easier you know."

Robin nodded. "We need to get back to the Tower, find out where they keep coming from." A soft beeping met their ears, and Robin opened up his communicator to see the cheery visage of Starfire. "Hello, friends! I trust lunch has gone well?"

"Not so much," Robin replied. "We ran into another demon. He nearly got us too."

Starfire's expression of happiness faded. "Oh, I see. Are all of you..."

"We're fine. We were just on our way home." A sudden thought struck him. "Raven isn't awake yet, is she?" he asked.

Starfire shook her head. "Do you wish for me to wake her?"

Robin nodded. "Get her up. One of her books might explain what's going on here."

_

* * *

The streets of Gotham city were, for a change, quiet. No gang shootings, no heavy traffic, no dark knight jumping from roof to roof searching for trouble. The only sounds were the rain tapping against the windows and collecting in the potholes in the streets, and the feet of the young man as they sloshed through the water. He stopped and looked behind him, panting. He was still being followed. It struck him as odd that his stalker was so short--less than five feet tall. If he wasn't having such a bad day, he'd have made a crack about being stalked by midgets._

_He brought the gun up again and fired two shots. There was a flash of sparks and a slight gleam, and the assailant kept walking as he had been for the past hour: slowly, threateningly, almost casually. The young man began to run again, and he could hear the footsteps of his stalker speeding up. His bangs clung to his forehead, occasionally getting into his eyes. He wiped the hair away as he came into sight of his makeshift home: the abandoned warehouse on the south side of town._

_He burst in, shouting for his younger sister, though in his heart he knew that she would soon be dead. Soft footsteps reached his ears and he turned to see his stalker standing, his frame silhouetted by the streetlights outside._

_

* * *

Beneath his hood, the boy smirked. Two hours of stalking, and an extra hour of chasing, had all finally paid off. Bring this fellow in, and he's set for a month. The young man, however...eh. It doesn't matter, as long as I get to eat the boy thought._

_He walked deeper into the warehouse. "Stay away!" the young man shouted, and brought up his gun to fire. Only nothing happened. He dropped the gun and got into a tae-kwon-do fighting stance. The boy walked closer and the young man gave a cry, swinging his leg at the short, thin boy's head. An arm intercepted the leg and hurled him against the far wall. A short whimper was heard, as well as quiet sobbing. The boy stopped and listened carefully. He smiled beneath the hood of the raincoat and tiptoed to the source of the sobbing. His hand drew his borrowed knife from its sheath, its blade notched from deflecting countless bullets earlier. He came to the source of the sound and his smile melted away._

_A girl, no more than 11 years old, sat huddled against in the corner. She looked up at him and he could see in her eyes the fear, the desperation. He took another step forward and she drew back, whimpering softly. "Hey, it's okay," the boy said quietly. "I'm not gonna hurt you."_

_"You stay the hell away from my sister!" the young man shouted, scrambling to his feet. The boy turned to look at him and tossed the knife against the far wall. "I'm not gonna hurt her," he said solemnly. Somehow, this was all the young man needed to hear and he calmed down._

_The boy knelt next to the girl and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. He could feel her shivering in the cold. He took off his raincoat. "Here. It's warm on the inside, I promise," he said, wrapping it around her. Her look of fear faded and she glanced at him. He smiled warmly at her. "What's your name?" he asked._

_The girl looked at him with uncertainty. "Jessica," she finally said._

_The boy put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm Carson," he said. "You're safe now, don't worry."_

_

* * *

"Ah, Carce, baby, yer back!" the businessman said, his New York accent thick with mirth. "How'd it go? Are they taken care of?"_

_Carson strolled into the office. Though only ten years old, he seemed surrounded by an aura of strength and intelligence, one that intimidated most people. He quickly drew the knife and impaled it's notched, ugly blade into the wood. His client stared at him incredulously. "You told me, when I first took this job, that I would run into the most deadly, the most feared, duo of bank robbers on this side of the red states."_

_He leaned forward, and the man began to feel the aura Carson carried. "What I found, Mr. DiCarlo, was a poor, 19 year old boy trying to provide for his beloved sister, the only family he has left in the world, because a corrupt businessman murdered his parents when he was a lad." DiCarlo reached for the silent alarm under his desk, and Carson grabbed the desk by the intricate inlaid stones in the finish and hurled it against the wall, where it lay in a pile of splintered, jagged wood._

_Carson stepped closer to DiCarlo, who stood up and reached behind him for the old cutlass that supposedly belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, the very one his mother gave him, and drew it, pointing it at Carson's heart. "D-don't make me use this!" he said nervously._

_Carson smirked, grabbed the blade and tore the sword from DiCarlo's hands, twirled it in the air, and grabbed it by the hilt, admiring the gleaming blade. "Carson, l-l-let's be reasonable here," he stammered. "I mean, I'm the richest men in all of Gotham, next to that damned Bruce Wayne. I could do anything, I could give you a house, a home, butlers, women, of course you aren't interested in women now, but you will be, terrific investment opportunity there I tell you! I could give you whatever you want. Name it."_

_"Can you remove inner evil?" Carson asked pointedly. DiCarlo gave him a confounded expression. "Never mind. You say you can do anything?" DiCarlo nodded shakily._

_The cutlass stabbed outward, stabbing DiCarlo through the chest. He stared at Carson in shock. "Can you fly?" Carson asked. He kicked DiCarlo back, his body slid off the blade of the sword through the back window, shattering it. His body fell through the air, blood pouring from his chest._

_Carson smiled smugly and looked down after him. "Guess not," he said. He gave the sword a good, long look, before picking up a handkerchief off the floor and wiping the blood off the blade. He picked up the sheath and slid the sword down into it. He stared down at the ground below, as people surrounded the body of--"_

* * *

"Raven? Raven? Please awaken, Raven! Robin wishes for us to do the research on the demons that have besieged the city!" Starfire's perpetually peppy voice called. Raven groaned and sat up, looking at the clock, her eyes half closed. They suddenly snapped open. "12:35? How long have I been asleep?" she wondered aloud. She stood up, and the memories of her dream came rushing into her mind. Memories. Not her memories. Not her feelings. Someoneelse's. Someone-- 

Her eyes narrowed. Carson's memories.

RR76: There. Backstory. Happy now? I would write more, but, alas, I can't think of anything else. :slaps face with beefsteak: Damn you writers block!

Anyway... please review now. There's a little button right there. Click on it now please. And write your review. Thank you in advance.

-RR76


	3. Violated

RR76: Hello all. Howzit goin'? Good you say? I'm glad. Beware Creepy Girl!

And oh yeah, this chapter is not what you think it is. What do you think it is, huh? Huh? Oh, I know what you're thinking. Not a rape chapter. Perverted freaks...

**Responses:**

**SaintH: Eh. He can be a nice guy when he wants to. But yeah. How'd the surgery go?**

**Rory: ...you really don't remember? (Wipes away tear and begins plotting Rory's death)**

**Ember: Everybody loves Raymond! Except me!**

**im in a kill people mood: Oh no, I've heard of Firefly. I just haven't seen it before. I plan to see Serenity, half because of its Jossness, half because Caleb the Evil Preacher is the star.**

**The Desperado: Robin. He laughs at Robin's martial arts ability, and enjoys humiliating him whenever possible. He thinks Cyborg is a loudmouth and Beast Boy is an idiot.**

**Don't own, don't sue.**

* * *

The door to the living room opened with a soft hiss to reveal the Teen Titans hard at work, Cyborg and Robin pouring over newspaper reports on the demon attacks trying to see a pattern, Starfire and Beast Boy going through the computer database. "Did I miss something?" Raven asked, stepping into the room. 

The others looked at her. "Raven. Yeah, we got attacked by another demon a while ago."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Again?" she asked incredulously. "This is getting annoying..."

"Tell me about it!" Beast Boy groaned. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get demon guts out of your hair? I tried everything to get it out, peanut butter, mayo, even some of those girly hair products in the bathroom, and all it did was make it smell worse!"

Raven gave him her trademark icy stare and floated over to Cyborg and Robin. The two looked at her. "You okay Raven?" Cyborg asked. "You're looking pale...er than usual."

"The fact that I may never eat anything ever again aside..." she said, jerking her head in Beast Boy's direction, "Yeah. I think I'm okay." She looked down at the stack of newspapers. "Find anything interesting?"

"Not remotely," Robin said with a sigh. "There's no pattern or cause for these demon attacks, and no apparent source of them. It's as if they're just appearing out of thin air. For now, we're sticking with Cyborg's theory that they came looking for an apocalypse."

"There's that," Raven said. "Or, they may actually just be appearing out of thin air. Demon summoners are not unheard of."

Robin nodded thoughtfully. "Star, Beast Boy, look in the database for known demon summoners." Beast Boy nodded and typed the query into the search engine. The other Titans gathered around the computer as the results were processed. After a moment, the names were displayed on the monitor. "Results 1 through 125...out of 2,012,502..." Beast Boy said numbly. "This might take a while..."

Raven looked over the list of names. She started to feel something tug at her in the back of her mind. She scanned down the list, not knowing what she was looking for, until she saw it. A single name: "Pavayne, Cassius." She inhaled sharply, drawing the notice of the others. "Raven? Are you okay?" Beast Boy asked.

She took a step back. "Um, yeah. Listen, I'm...gonna go out for a while, I'll be back...whenever."

Starfire took a step forward. "Raven, are you sure there is nothing wrong? Perhaps you wish for me to accompany you?" she asked slowly.

"Nothing's wrong Star," Raven said dismissively. "I just need some air is all."

* * *

Raven walked down the sidewalk, her head spinning. The name kept repeating itself in her mind. _Cassius Pavayne, Cassius Pavayne...who is he? _she kept asking herself. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She stopped suddenly, and felt the familiar tug in the back of her mind. Without thinking, she unleashed her soul self and phased through cement and rock and sediment, not stopping till she reached her destination. She stopped suddenly, snapped out of her trance, and looked around, recognizing her surroundings: The bottom of the old library. The portal to Trigon's Hell dimension. 

Raven looked around. Everything looked exactly the same, the statues, the giant hand in the center, and the indentations on the walls. She walked further into the chamber and heard a soft 'clink'. She raised her foot and saw what had made the sound: A small, circular, dust covered piece of copper. Raven smiled inwardly. Beast Boys' penny. She stooped down and picked it up, blowing the dust off and putting it in the pocket of her cloak.

Footsteps echoed behind her and she realized she was not alone. "What's a pretty little girl like you doing in a hellhole like this?" a voice, thick, deep and distinctly male warbled from behind her. She turned to see a man, middle aged, in a long black coat and tan slacks. Raven squinted, and could barely make out the outline of his face. "Back off, creep," she threatened, her hands glowing black.

The man cocked his head. "Silly girl, did no one ever teach you to respect your elders?" Raven searched the room for something to throw at the insolent hobo, and saw a chunk of rock that had broken off of the giant hand in the center of the chamber. She encased the rock in her powers and hurled it at the hobo. He effortlessly smacked it with the back of his hand and it crumbled into dust. Raven gasped. _Okay, creepy, _she thought.

"That wasn't a very nice thing to do, missy," the man said, stepping forward. "Then again, it's only natural. You never did have the firm hand of your father to teach you respect, did you...Raven?"

Raven's hands balled into fists. "Who are you, and how do you know about me and Trigon?"

The hobo gestured apologetically. "Where are my manners? Cassius Pavayne at your service milady." Raven's heart skipped a beat. _Pavayne..._ "And as for your father, let's just say...I'm a friend of the family."

Raven's fists tightened. "Any friend of my fathers is no friend of mine! Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she shouted, hurling her black magic at the demon summoner. Pavayne dodged easily and began to walk towards Raven. Her assault continued, but Pavayne seemed unfazed by everything she threw at him. He suddenly broke into a run, leapt into the air and kicked Raven into the far wall. Pavayne raised his arms and began to chant in a language Raven did not understand. "Halfere, demothio sol'tes Trigonus! Destathi!" The indentations on the walls glowed, bathing the room in a red light. Raven looked up at Pavayne and gasped at the sight of him. His face was covered in scars and burn marks, his head bald. Thin strands of dark hair hung at the back of his head. Beneath his coat, Raven could see a hilt of a sword. Pavayne walked towards her. "Maybe you hadn't heard Pavayne, but I'm not the portal to Hell anymore! This won't work!" Raven shouted at him.

Paveyne smiled--it wasn't a very nice smile. "Dear Raven," he said, drawing his sword--more like a knife, it was so short. "Who said anything about portals?" He lunged at her. Raven put up a barrier around her body, but Pavayne smashed his fist into it and it shattered. Pavayne grabbed her by the wrists and held them over the head in one hand. With his free hand, he gripped his knife and began to carve something on Ravens' belly. She whimpered in pain, making her assailant chuckle softly. When he was done, he grabbed her by the wrists and dragged her to the center of the chamber, Raven shouting in protest, struggling in a futile effort to break his grip on her.

Pavayne leapt up the impossibly high distance and landed on the giant hand, throwing Raven to the ground. He grinned and threw the knife at Raven's feet. "It has begun," he said slowly. Trembling, Raven looked at her stomach to see what Pavayne had carved. She felt her insides collapse as she beheld the Mark of Scath carved onto her. "You think that's something," Pavayne crowed, "take a look at what's happening around you..." She felt the warm blood trickle down her stomach and collect on the palm of the giant hand. It began to glow, and the fingers closed on her. Pavayne jumped down from the hand and looked up to see the fingers close around Raven, and a bright white light flash within. The fingers relaxed and returned to their original positions, and the hand stopped glowing.

Raven lay on the hand, still trembling. "This begins the 100 days," Pavayne called up to her. She heard him rise into the air, and looked out to see him floating ahead of her, a sick smile on his face. "Nothing will stop the Ascension now."

Raven sat up. "Who...what are you?" she asked shakily.

Pavayne spread his arms wide in a grand gesture. "I am the servant of a far greater power. One that has slept for countless ages. Since the beginning of time, it has corrupted the hearts and souls of the righteous, and spread death and pestilence wherever it has gone. It is a being that transcends time and reality. Wherever it has gone, I have followed. Whatever it's bidding, I carried it out. Together, we brought entire nations to their knees." He floated next to Raven and knelt down. "You know of what I speak..."

Raven took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "The Hellgod..." she whispered.

Pavayne grinned. "Now you're catching on..." He rose and paced back and forth on the limited space of the giant hand. "But, alas, I grew bored with my existence. I immersed myself in the mythology of the Three, the prime evils of the universe, and steeped myself in their lore, searching for, shall we say...a loophole in my contract. And I finally found one." He looked at the girl sitting in the center of the hand, disheveled and quite possibly emotionally scarred for life. "You, Raven. Through you, I can finally rise beyond my master of old. The Ancient One himself will cower before me...heh, sounds like a party." He stood over Raven, towering over her. "I will destroy this world, Raven...and what's more...you're going to be my vessel."

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Raven's head, pressing his palm against the gem on her forehead. "What do you say?" A bright light engulfed the two of them and Raven felt a terrible pain in her head. She shut her eyes tightly and howled in agony, and then, abruptly, the light faded and the pain was gone. She opened her eyes. Pavayne had disappeared. Raven stood up and winced, feeling her stomach. She put her hand over the wound and concentrated her powers on healing herself. The wound closed, but the scar remained. Raven grimaced and stood, and a sharp pain shot through her head. _Maybe walking isn't such a good idea..._ she thought, floating down from the giant hand.

Raven levitated up the spiral staircase that led to the chamber at the bottom of the old library. _So, not only is the city under attack by demons, _(which, granted, not my fault, but still pretty irritating)_, but I've got Carson's memories floating around my head, a demon summoner is stalking me, and once again, I'm destined to end the world._

Raven sighed. It sucked being her.

* * *

RR76: No more than it sucked writing this chapter. Seriously. I hate this chapter. Hate it hate it hate it! So much ruined potential...well, you don't have to review this chapter if you don't want to. I'll reveal more backstory next time. Bye now. 


	4. Denied

RR76: Once again, I apologize for last chapter. Really, I didn't like it too much. I swear this one'll be better.

That said, lemme say this: This story isn't going to have fight scenes left and right like its predecessors. It's slower paced than TTGBITN and not as action packed as Carson, but I promise that when all's said and done, it'll be good. And there will be fight scenes. Damn good ones at that. But you have to wait for them. Okay? Okay.

**I don't know if I've mentioned, but this story takes place a few weeks after The End (I'm talking to you SaintH, no offense man). So yeah.**

**Responses:**

**EMBER91: Oh...you don't? Um, well...then close your eyes later on.**

**im in a kill people mood: They'll steal your soul and eat your brain. Now there are a few demons that I don't mind. Lorne and Clem and Angelus for example.**

**Rory: ...you seriously, honest to Godly don't remember? ...Well, it was nothing. Meant a lot to me though. Turnful comments. Cool.**

**SaintH: You're too kind. Seriously, I freely acknowledge the suckiness factor of last chapter.  
**

**Not Present:**

**The Wild Ambition**

**Queenie**

**Screwy, ain't it? Well, I thought so anyway... For the record, I didn't invent Pavayne's name. His first name comes from a Roman general; his last name comes from a necromancer on an episode of Angel. Tried to suck Spike into Hell. Caused Spike to look disturbing. For those who've seen the episode (and aren't insane fangirls) you know what I mean.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains graphic depictions of freaky sex--er, Nazi death. You have been warned.**

**Don't own, don't sue. Yadda yadda, blah blah, yap yap, go to hell flamers. Read on.**

* * *

Beast Boy yawned as he entered the living room of Titans' Tower. He entered the kitchen and glanced at the clock. _1:35. Heh, sweet. I'm the only one up right now. _He poured a glass of soy milk and drank it down quickly. He headed for the couch, intent upon watching TV until the others woke up, when he saw the glow of the giant computer/TV. _Now how'd I miss that? _he wondered idly. He squinted and barely managed to make out the outline of a girl sitting in a chair that had been pulled from the kitchen, and a trace of violet hair. A sly grin came onto his face as he realized Raven hadn't noticed him come in. Silently, he tiptoed behind her, and flung his hands around her eyes. "Guess who!" he said, loud enough for Raven to hear but quiet enough so as not to wake the rest of the tower. 

"Quit it Beast Boy," replied in her normal no-nonsense monotone. "Not in the mood."

"C'mon Raven, you know you love it when I do that," said Beast Boy, transforming into a cat and leaping onto her lap, nuzzling her stomach. Raven winced in pain and batted the feline off of her lap. Beast Boy went back to human form and looked up at the computer screen. "Raven, did--did that hurt?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course not," Raven said quickly. "I'm...just allergic to cat fur."

"One, no you aren't, two, allergies don't cause you pain. Even I know that. What happened?" Beast Boy asked, rising to his feet.

"I told you, nothing," Raven said through gritted teeth. "Now unless you need something, get out. I have work to do."

"Maybe I can help," Beast Boy offered. "I may not look like it, but I'm a whiz with computers."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Beast Boy, if I need help googling horny, barely legal Asian co-eds (a/n: a la my brother) I'll ask you."

"How did you find out about--uh, I mean...that was Cyborg!" Beast Boy snapped, blushing heavily. Raven tried to suppress a giggle, but couldn't. Beast Boy's ears perked up. "Hey, I made you laugh!"

"No you didn't," Raven said quickly. "I-um...was reading this funny joke online!"

Beast Boy gave a short laugh. "Yeah, right Raven. You reading jokes online is about as likely as Starfire going longer than 10 seconds without saying Robin's name.." He looked over her shoulder, trying to see what she was looking at. "Besides, if this is a joke site, it's the worst one I've ever seen. What's a 'Pavayne'?"

A hand shot out and wrapped itself around Beast Boy's jugular. He choked and looked at Raven. Her eyes had changed--for example, there were four of them and they were glowing red. "Do you really want to find out?" she snapped in a demonic voice. She blinked, and her eyes returned to normal. Slowly, she let go of Beast Boy's neck and let the hand drop to her side. She shut down the computer and stood up, knocking over her chair, and walked quickly to the door.

Beast Boy ran after her and took her arm in his hand. "Raven, talk to me. What's going on?" he asked worriedly.

"Leave me alone, Beast Boy," she snapped. "I have to meditate."

Beast Boy let go of her arm, only to jump into her path. "I'm not gonna leave you alone until you tell me what's wrong with you."

She brushed past him. "It's nothing. I can handle it on my own." She strode quickly down the hallway, and heard Beast Boy call after her "Just like your father? Could you handle that on your own too?" Without thinking, she reached out with her powers and sent him flying through the living room doorway. Raven turned and ran, not stopping until she was in her room with the door locked behind her. She breathed heavily and sat down on her bed. She stole a glance at her mirror and shuddered at the thought of having to use it again. She got into a lotus position and levitated slightly, softly chanting her mantra. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos...Azarath Metrion Zinthos...Azarath...Metrion...Zin..." She yawned and fell back on the bed, asleep before her head hit the pillow.

_

* * *

The basement was damp, musty, and infested by rodents. Hardly a suitable meeting place for the last remnants of the secret police of Germany, the S.S. Theirs was an order thought to be dead, but they had endured. Almost sixty years after their Führer's death, and they were still strong. Or at least alive. The leader sighed. Had the Führer had his way, he and his allies would be meeting in castles in Germany, not leaky basements in a crime-infested hellhole like Gotham City. The leader felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around--only to find himself staring down the barrel of a Colt .45 revolver._

_"Guten Tag," a voice said. The trigger was pulled, and the S.S. leader's brains were splattered on the wall. The noise alerted his friends upstairs and they came rushing to avenge their fallen leader. And who did they find standing over his body? A scrawny 13 year old boy in a light grey flak jacket. They laughed heartily, and then stopped when the bullets started flying. They retreated up the stairs, and came face to face with a tall, muscular fellow of about 21. Several punches and dislocated limbs later, the S.S. members broke through and made a mad dash for the front door. Expecting safety, they flung open the door, and saw a sweet teenage girl of about 14 standing in their path. "Out of the way girl," one of the Nazis growled._

_The girl smiled sweetly. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she said, punctuating her sentence with an innocent giggle._

_"We'll do the talking then," another Nazi said, and rushed at her. The girl's smile turned from sweet to malicious, and in a split second she whirled around, drew a weapon that resembled a giant butcher's knife and decapitated the Nazi, watching with amusement as his head rolled down the sidewalk and into a manhole. The other Nazis screamed in horror and rushed back inside and saw the other two attackers blocking off the windows._

_"Three against a dozen," the boy with the revolver said. "I like them odds."_

_"You wanna do the honors, birthday boy?" the girl said from behind the Nazi wannabes. _

_"Hmmm...nah," revolver guy said, drawing an old naval cutlass. "Three of us, twelve of them...four each then?"_

_"Deal," his cohorts said in unison, and an orgy of death and maiming ensued. Necks were snapped, heads rolled, and in thirty seconds flat, the combined might of the S.S. was no more than a pile of dismembered bodies and bloodstained carpet. _

_The girl stepped over the pile of gore to stand beside revolver guy. "You like your birthday present sweetie?"_

_Revolver guy grinned. "Worked like a charm. Thanks again Jess." He planted a kiss on the girl's lips, and their cohort groaned. "Do you always have to do that in front of me Carson? She's my sister for God's sake."_

_"Aw, shove it Warren," said Carson. "I can still kick your ass you know." He looked around at the bodies. "So, you think we got all of them?"_

_"Actually, you missed a couple making out in the bathroom," a deep voice said. The three turned to see the outline of a man standing in the hallway. "I didn't know there were any women here," said Jessica, examining the pile of gore for any sign of female presence._

_"There aren't," the voice said with a hint of amusement. The three assassins "oh'd"._

_"So, I take it you're a fan of our work? Came for an autographed Nazi arm?" Warren asked, folding his arms. Carson and Jessica looked at him. "Leave the wit to us bro," said Jessica flatly. She turned back to the newcomer. "Now seriously, who the hell are you, and where do you get off doing our work for us?"_

_"Ah, where are my manners?" the man said, stepping out of the darkness. He was about 55, balding, with grey hair and a more salt-than-pepper goatee. He wore a purple robe with a clasp in the shape of an 'H'._

_"Blood," he said. "Brother Blood, assistant headmaster of H.I.V.E Academy, at your service."_

_"H.I.V.E.?" Carson asked with bemusement. "Sorry, not interested in going to school, thanks. We prefer to not let the educational system run our lives."_

_"Indeed?" Brother Blood asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"Yeah. So why don't you just mosey on back to Jump City and your little boarding school for sociopath teens and tell your headmaster to shove take his scholarships and shove them up his--"_

_"I didn't come to ask you to join the academy," said Brother Blood, "although if I wanted to, I could force you. Nor did I come under the influence of the headmaster. I came because I personally have a job for you."_

_Carson shut his mouth and Warren stepped forward. ", for one, am interested. So tell us, Brother Blood, what do you desire of us?"_

_Jessica rolled her eyes. "I swear Warren; sometimes you say the dumbest things..."_

_"I want you to eliminate an opponent of mine. He used to work for me, back in the day. Fate and circumstance combined to take him away from my service. He rose to prominence and became the headmaster of H.I.V.E. I'm sure you know where I'm going with this," Brother Blood explained._

_"Okay, so you want us to do the dirty work for you and murder your boss. That we can handle," said Carson in a businesslike tone. "What's the pay?"_

_"My offer stands at $500," Blood said, sitting back on the couch. Carson folded his arms. "We get paid more to scoop out the cat box for the little old lady down the street," he said flatly, eliciting a chuckle from his teammates._

_"I'm sorry, let me clarify: $500 each."_

_"Yeah, $500 sounds good," said Carson quickly. "So, anything we should know about him? Short, tall, thin, fat, allergic to goose down?"_

_Brother Blood smiled. "He's big, powerful, and evil, though a bit of a coward. He has other...shall we say, people...fight his battles for him, and is fairly weak in hand to hand combat. I'll bring you in, saying that the three of you are new prospects for the academy. You three can take it from there."_

_Carson extended his hand and Brother Blood took it and they shook on it (That rhymes!) "Deal," said Carson. "So, out of curiosity...what's your bosses' name?"_

_A smile appeared on Brother Blood's lips. "His name," he said softly "is Pavayne."_

* * *

Raven sat bolt upright in her bed, breathing heavily. The sheets around her were cold and damp. _I sure hope that's sweat, _she thought sarcastically. She rubbed her forehead and moaned at the splitting headache. Her eyes found her mirror and she levitated it over to her. She stared into it and let it absorb her into the dark, creepy world of her mind. 

"Hello?" she called out. "Anyone here? Timid? Happy? Brave? Rude? Anger? Wisdom? Knowledge?" She waited for a reply, but none came.

"Good," she said softly, and fell to her knees and cried her eyes out. She cried for everything--she cried for bringing Trigon into the world, she cried for the Ascension, whatever the hell that was, she cried for the fact that her crush probably hated her now. She cried for all the pain she had endured in her entire life, all the suffering, all the emotion that she had bottled up inside all this time. She cried for it all.

She felt a comforting hand, distinctly male, on her shoulder. Forgetting where she was, Raven assumed it was Cyborg or Robin. She sniffed and looked up with a smile on her face, getting that warm fuzzy feeling she often got (but never acknowledged) when her friends came to comfort her when she was lonely. The smile fell away and she scrambled to her feet and backed away.

The black clothed and clearly not dead form of Carson Elam greeted her.

"Hello cutie," he said.

* * *

RR76: Ooooooh...he's back! Now review please. And hey, I don't get the suckiness vibe from this chapter. I think it was...unsucky. Cool! Tell me what you think! 


	5. Mind of a Murderer

RR76:sigh: This SUCKS! My dad made me get my haircut today. I look like the 50s! Kill me now.

And, as usual, nobody my age around to talk to, nowhere to go--not that I'd WANT to go out looking like the 50s--did I mention to kill me? Anyway, my only option is to hide my 50s looking self in shame until it grows back. And oh yes, it will grow back...hehehehehehehehehe...

**Responses...sigh...**

**Rory: Do not question me! And yes, I'm sure. Whoobles.**

**The Desperado: Wait no more, my friend.**

**SaintH: Damn them Nazis. Heh, I thought that'd be a good line. And the chapters'll be better now. All I really need to do to make a chapter good is to throw in Carson.**

**EMBER91: Yes...it's over...or is it? BOO!**

**Queenie: Heh, my evil plan worked! Muahahahahahahahahahahaha! Seriously. I thought you'd like the Nazi death. If it helps, I'm half Mexican and I don't speak any Spanish. Except for a few phrases. And did you know that two of your friends have the same names as people I know from school? Weird...**

**NOTE: The author of this story does not endorse child sex.**

**Don't own, yadda yadda yadda.**

_

* * *

Blood stung Carson's eyes as he struggled to get back on his feet. He felt a foot crash into his stomach, sending him flying backward, into the glass of the observation deck, cracking it slightly. He moaned and stood again, clutching his stomach. Mocking laughter met his ears as Headmaster Pavayne came into view once more. "My, my. Dear boy, I thought you would be more of a challenge," he said, the smarmy smile crossing his face once again._

_Carson let loose a cry and charged, throwing a punch at Pavayne's face. The demon summoner dodged and drove his knee into Carson's stomach. He reeled backward and looked up just in time to see Pavayne's fist crash into his chin. "You put on quite a show 'Darkside,'. Sneaking into my school, advancing to the top of the class, slaughtering half my students. You and your friends did quite a number on the boys and girls of HIVE Acadamy. But it ends here," Pavayne said, cracking his neck._

_Carson leaned back against the cool glass of the observation deck. "You...you weren't supposed to be this...this..."_

_"Powerfully chinned? Dashing? Ruggedly handsome?"_

_"You...aren't human."_

_Pavayne shrugged. "Yes and no."_

_"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Carson demanded, spitting blood from his mouth._

_Pavayne grinned. "You're a smart boy. You figure it out." His grin widened. "And you may want to take a look out down there. It's one...hell of a show, if I do say so myself."_

_Carson turned his head and stared down in horror to see Jessica and Warren, his two best friends, the only people in the world who cared about him, surrounded by a horde of demons. They were fighting valiently, but were doomed nontheless. "No..." Carson whispered in disbelief._

_"As you can see, I've put my demon summoning abilites to good use during our confrontation," Pavayne crowed. "My demons will make short work of your friends.. Except maybe for that Jessica," he said, stepping up next to Carson. "She's not unattractive, and I mean that in the best possible way. I think the boys of the school would show her a good time, don't you?" _

_"Stay the hell away from her!" Carson snarled._

_Pavayne laughed. "Hmm, I struck a nerve, didn't I? Now why would that be such a tender--" A look of realization crossed his face and he slapped his forehead. "Well, senility certainly seems to have caught up with me. You love her, don't you?" He squatted down and looked Carson in the eye. "If that's the case," he said slowly, "maybe I should be the one to show her a good time, hmm?" _

_Carson's hand shot out and wrapped around Pavayne's neck, and with the slightest jerk he hurled Pavayne through the window and into the arena, much to the shock of the demon army. Jessica and Warren looked up at the observation deck to see Carson standing at the edge of the shattered window and watched in awe as massive wings of fire sprouted from his back. Pavayne rose and stared up at Carson. "Disrespectful, insignificant--" a ball of energy struck him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him._

_"Cassius Pavayne," Carson shouted down at him. "If your goal was to release the most ancient and powerful of all evils and thus bring about your untimely demise...congrats. You've won." He leaped down to the arena and stared at Pavayne. His eyes had turned jet black. "Why don't you come claim your prize?" _

_With a low growl, Pavayne charged at Carson, drawing his short sword. Carson--or rather, the Beast that had consumed Carson--smirked, drew back his fist and--_

* * *

Raven groaned and sat up slowly, rubbing her forehead. She looked around. "What the...what happened? Why am I--" 

"Inside your mind? You came here to bawl your eyes out about how you tossed your not-boyfriend through a door for being concerned for you, saw me, and fainted," Carson said, stepping into view. "Come on, I'm not _that _ugly, am I?"

Raven jumped to her feet and rushed at Carson, her hands charged with her energy. Carson rolled his eyes, grabbed Raven's arm and threw her to the ground. "Don't bother. I'm still a better fighter than you, even if you've got the--no wait, _especially_ since you've got the homefield advantage," Carson chuckled, shaking his head.

Raven got back to her feet and stood in her fighting stance. Carson threw up his hands. "I'm not gonna hurt you Raven. I mean it this time." Raven gave him a look. "I do!" Carson said. "What, you think I'd kill the only person keeping me alive?"

"What do you mean by that?" Raven demanded.

Carson raised his hands. "Okay Raven, I'll make you a deal. You knock off the interrigator crap, 'cause Lord knows you aren't that good at it--what, are you gonna do to me what you did to Gizmo?--and I'll tell you anything you want to know. Free of charge." He smiled. "Deal?"

"Why should I trust you?" Raven growled, her fists tightening.

"I'll tell you what I told Robin, I can kill you before you can bat an eyelash. If I wanted to, don't you think I'd have done it by now?" Carson said, folding his arms. Raven wavered, unsure, and finally lowered her hands. "There you go. Now was it that hard?"

"Shut up Carson," Raven said. "I held up my end of the deal, now you honor yours. You answer anything I want to know."

"Hmm...no," Carson said. He instantly regretted it as Raven teleported an inch away from him, socked him in the groin and stood over him as he clutched himself. "Listen," Raven snapped. "I am having a really, really crappy week. I'm fed up with cryptic half-answers and sarcastic comments from you. Now either you tell me what I want to know, or I will be one very, very pissed off little demon girl, and I've got a whole mess of reinforcements who would love to take turns smashing your family jewels. Got it kiddo?" Carson nodded shakily and Raven released him. He slowly got back to his feet.

Raven took a deep breath. "Okay, question 1...how is it that you aren't dead?"

"Don't know." Raven drew back her foot. "I mean it, I don't know," Carson said quickly.

Raven sighed. "Fine then, question 2. Why do I keep having your memories?"

"Hmm, good question..." Carson said. "You remember the night we met, when you tried probing my brain?"

"How could I forget?" Raven said with a shudder.

"Yeah, no kidding. I had the vision too, not pleasant. Full black body armor, not my best look." Raven just looked at him with a gleam in her eye. Carson cleared his throat. "Anyway, when you tried to read my mind, you ended up absorbing all my memories, feelings, etc. After I came back and you used your powers on me, our minds connected again, and you caught brief glimpses of my life. Hey," he said, an eagerness in the last word. "Didja see me tear the big guard's spine out? Ah, good times, good..." He shook his head. "Getting off topic," he muttered.

"Anyway, you started dreaming all those memories, but you'd wake up and not remember them. Kinda funny, if you think about it. You only started remembering them recently because...actually, I'm not entirely sure."

_How does he know all these things? _Raven thought. She pushed it aside for another time. "Next question: How long have you been here?"

"Since you sucked me into a portal cold as night and black as despair. I've only recently manifested myself;I've been floating around as a non-corporeal entity for the past two years," he replied.

"Cold as night and black as despair? That's poetic," Raven mused.

"You think so? I'll tell your evil half that you said that, she came up with it. Any more questions?"

"What do you know about Cassius Pavayne?" Raven asked.

Carson's comfident smirk returned. "Pavayne, eh? Need some advice on how to deal with the new big bad of Jump City?" Raven was silent, so Carson continued. "He's a demon summoner. You already know that, of course, after long hours spent digging up information on him, running into dead ends wherever you look. Well, let me put your mind at ease." He walked up to Raven and held his face mere inches away from hers. "...He's evil."

"I already KNEW that!" Raven snapped, driving her foot up into Carson's groin. This time, however, the assassin blocked her attack and kicked her in the chest. "Why Raven, that was so...predictable," Carson mocked, drawing his knife. "I didn't expect someone as smart as you to think that would work on me a second time. Fool me once, blah blah...that's an old saying in Tennassee, I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennassee..." he trailed off.

Raven got back to her feet. "You wanted me to do that, didn't you?"

"Well, duh. I haven't had a good spot of violence in over two years. I got restless, so sue me. Won't happen again, I swear." He held up two fingers. "Scout's honor."

"You...were a Boy Scout?" Raven said, supressing a laugh.

"Well, not by choice. See, Jessica wanted to do something new, and she made me dress up like a boy scout and surprise her and whisk her off and lay her down and--er..." He blushed.

"Too. Much. Information," Raven said, turning green slightly. She sighed. "You know what, screw it, I'll find out about Pavayne on my own." She strode off towards the portal out of her mind, Carson following her every step of the way trying to explain himself. "Come on, it was her birthday! And besides, we didn't even get that far before Wonderbrother's paternity alarm went off and being half naked in the arms of your best friends' sister while he's standing in the doorway to what passes for a bedroom is kinda a turn-off!"

"Great, tortured by 4, killing by 10 and fornicating by 12. Great life you've lived Carson," Raven muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, 1: How did you find out about the torture? 2: Nothing happened, I told you, parentus interruptus! Well, techincally brotherus interruptus, but you get the point!"

"1: I saw it in a vision, 2: You were 12 and you tried to get freaky with your best friend's sister!"

"Yeah, we've ESTABLISHED that Raven!"

"That doesn't exactly make it any less disgusting that two 12 year olds were going at it!"

"...She was 13."

"Ugh..."

* * *

Robin opened the door and yawned. "Raven...do you have any idea what time it is?" 

"4:30 AM. I need your help with something. Can I come in?" She didn't bother waiting for an answer and levitated right in. "There's something I need you to do..."

* * *

"...so I'll be gone for a couple days. Cyborg's in charge while I'm gone. If Slade comes back, contact me immediatly and I'll be back as soon as I can. Do not engage him until I get back. Any questions?" Beast Boy raised his hand. "Yeah, um, if Slade doesn't come back, what do we do?" 

"Sit tight 'till I get back. Any more questions?" Starfire raised her hand. "What was Raven doing in your room last night?" she asked suspiciously.

"We were just talking Starfire. Nothing happened, I swear," said Robin. "Anything else?" Silence. "Good," he said, hoisting the backpack over his shouldars. "I'll be back in a day or two. Oh, and Titans...stay out of my room this time." The other four blushed and whistled innocently. Robin gave them one last smile and walked out the door.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Beast Boy turned to his friends. "Okay, who wants to mess with Robin's stuff again?"

* * *

RR76: If it was sucky, sorry. Bye. 


	6. Buried Secrets

RR76: Well, hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowdy! Dammit, I talk like Billy Numerous! NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Well, on a more serious note, life in sunny San Diego sucks. There is nowhere to go, nothing to do (in my part of town anyway) and the pools are overrun by saggy old people. There is nobody--NOBODY--my age to talk to. All my friends live in another part of town, and I can't visit them because I have no money, and besides, I have no idea where they live. And the malls...ugh, don't get me started on the malls. All THREE of them. That's right, THREE. Just how many Nordstrums and JC Pennyses and AMC Theaterses and shoe shops does one city need?

I hate SoCal. I want to go back to NoCal. I can't, because that'd spark an ugly custody battle between my mom and my dad, and my dad's 50 year old girlfriend would bitch about it, and if there's one thing I don't need, it's more bitching.

So shut up and read my crappy story.

**Responses:**

**EMBER91: Um...yes. Yes it is. **

**Rory: Yeah...sorry if the sex life of Carson is too much to handle. Do not insult my latin! I gots skillz byznatch! Hoos yo daddy foo? There. I have disturbed everybody. Yeay. How's school? **

**Queenie: 1) After a lifetime of people telling me how much I don't matter, my self-confidence is so shot that I have no choice but to say that. 2) It'll grow back, just you wait, muahaha... 3) I just did. Yeay. 4) If Carson talks like Leor, then Leor talks like me. Gasp. HE STOLE MY VOICE AND TOOK IT TO FLORIDA! I got a bloodtest once. It was fun. :dumb grin:**

**im in a kill people mood: I'm clean, thank you. And, well, part of his life involves...um...yeah. Quit trying to kill Carson--he'll get what's coming to him eventually, I promise. **

**SaintH: Hey, caps are important. For example...**

**With caps: I gotta go help Uncle Jack of a horse.**

**Without caps: I gotta go help uncle jack off a horse.**

**See? Caps are fun!**

**Don't own nuttun' except Carson, his girlfriend, his best friend, and that's about it.**

* * *

"This is the place," the landlord said, pulling out a keyring. "The rent was pain for the next year and a half, so I guess he expected to be gone a while. Hasn't showed up lately though." He unlocked the door and turned back to Robin. "You know what's happened to him?" 

Robin cleared his throat. "Um...well, he's--"

"Don't say dead--that kid don't do death. I tell ya, he could probably teach you a thing or two. Uh, no offense," the landlord said, backing off after Robin gave him an icy glare. The portly man turned turned the knob and slowly opened the door. Robin stepped inside, marveling at what he saw. He was expecting a dusty warehouse downtown--but this? "Where did Carson get the money for all of this?" he asked the landlord.

The man cracked a smile. "The kid was a paid assassin. Best in the biz, and for good reason." He sighed slowly. "And here I am talking about him in the past tense. He is dead, ain't he?" Robin nodded slowly. "You know how he died?" His eyes narrowed. "Did you kill him?"

Robin turned away. "I tried once."

The landlord laughed. "So he DID teach you a thing or two. Ah, that Carson..." he turned and walked out the door. "I should write something in the bulletin. Something tasteful. Kid never did care for obituaries though..." he muttered to himself as he headed back downstairs, leaving Robin alone in the home of his dead adversary.

He took a deep breath and walked in. Raven had given him the whole story--Pavayne, the Ascension, whatever it was, and she had told him that Carson was somehow involved. She didn't say how, just that she knew he was. Carson's past was a mystery--his contacts were either missing or dead. And as we all know, dead men tell no tales. It was up to the Boy Wonder to crack the case.

Robin took in the scene. He had been told Carson lived in the attic of an apartment downtown, and he came prepared for just that--the attic of a downtown apartment. But what greeted him was entirely different. A large, spacious, comfy penthouse, well furnished and clean. Robin stepped over to the windows--how many attics had windows, anyway? They offered a magnificent view of downtown. Robin stepped into one of the two bedrooms and flicked on the lightswitch, illuminating the room in a white glow.

Carson's bed rested against the far wall--still unmade. A photo rested on the nightstand, and Robin picked it up to get a better view. A shorter, slightly younger version of Carson was sitting on a bench, and a young girl with short brown hair next to him, her head rested on his shoulder and his arm around her waist. _Carson had a girlfriend?_ Robin thought, suppressing a laugh. He took the photo out of the frame and turned it around to see slightly faded writing. He squinted to get a better view of it. It read

_Carson--_

_November 18th, 2003_

_Happy Birthday _

November 18th 2003. One month before Carson's arrival in Jump City. One month before he took up the contract on the Titans' lives. Robin frowned and tucked the photo away in his belt absentmindedly. He was about to leave the room when something else caught his eye--a closet door (insert gay joke here). Just a harmless, innocent closet door. Robin walked right up to it and kicked it down and walked inside.

It was one of those walk-in closets that preppy girls use to store their 100 pairs of shoes. Carson had converted it into a trophey room--swords, skulls, brooches, amulets and etc adorned the walls. At the end were five seperate, empty shelves, each with a nametag--ROBIN, STARFIRE, CYBORG, BEAST BOY, RAVEN. Above them was another shelf with the word "TERRA" carved into the wood. Robin frowned and began to walk out of the closet (and here) when he tripped on something. Curious, he bent over to pick it up.

It was a journal. _Score, _he thought with a grim smile, and opened it to the first page. He raised an eyebrow. It said simply: _6/11/2001 Target(s): Sable, Jessica/Sable, Warren. Client: Vincent DiCarlo, attorney at law. Payment: $200 for each head. Notes: Decapitation. Excellent!_

_Riiiight..._ thought Robin, closing the journal. _So he was bloodthirsty even when he was just a kid. That's just plain creepy. _At that moment, Robin heard the squeak of a rubber boot, and became aware that he wasn't alone. Expecting the landlord, Robin turned around, only to see a fist fly straight at him and connect with his cheek. Robin's head snapped back, and he stared his attacker in the eye. He was a tall man in his early-to-mid 20s, wearing a long leather coat. "Who the hell are you?" Robin shouted. His response came in the form of a kick to the chest. Robin fell back and hit the wall, and ducked just in time to avoid a blow to the face. He drew back his arm and slammed his fist into his attacker's stomach, and gave a cry as pain shot through his hand. The attacker grabbed him from under the arms and threw him through the window.

Thinking quickly, Robin pulled his bo-staff from his utility belt, extended it, and slammed it into the ground, vaulting forward and smacking facefirst into a brick wall. He moaned and rubbed his head. _Okay, that wasn't so smart, _he thought numbly. He looked up to the window and saw no trace of his attacker--just shattered glass.

The door to the apartment opened and the landlord ran outside. "My God, you all right kid?" he said, helping Robin to his feet. "What happened?"

"That guy," Robin snapped. "Where'd he go? Did you see?" 

The landlord gave Robin a perplexed look. "What? What guy? Kid, you were up there alone the whole time!"

* * *

Raven sat glued to the computor, pouring over occult sites and police reports. She figured Robin'd be back with more info on Pavayne, and she could always beat the information out of Carson (hard as it'd be), so for now, she decided to concentrate on finding info on the Ascension. So far, she had learned that it had nothing to do with ritual flayings, or vampire feasts. In short: She didn't know what was going to happen. _This might be going faster if I had some help with the research _she thought bitterly, and glanced over her shoulder at Beast Boy, dressed in Robin's uniform, plopped on the couch and absently opening and closing a Birdarang. _Then again, if Beast Boy's my only backup...aw, what the hell._

"This might go a bit faster if you were helping instead of fooling around with that Birdarang," Raven said with a sigh.

"Last time I tried to help you with something, you threw me across the hallway, so how about no?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Beast Boy, you were _not _helping, you were distracting me from my work. What was I supposed to do?"

"...You're right. I'm sorry for bothering you last night Raven," said Beast Boy, surprising Raven. She hadn't expected him to back down so easily without so much as an effort to force her to apologize for her actions.

A grin crossed Beast Boy's face. "Hey, why don't I go make you some of that herbal tea, and we can look for clues on whatever it is you're doing together?"

"Why don't you go back to playing with that Birdarang so that you, hopefully, accidentally slash your wrists open and bleed to death in that hellhole you call a room so that I can achieve my lifetime dream of smashing your headstone and dancing on your coffin? How's that sound?" Raven snarled angrily. She turned back to the computor and continued working when she heard a slight whimpering. She turned around, prepared to verbally abuse Beast Boy some more, when she saw something she wasn't expecting: Beast Boy's shoulders were slumped and lower lip was quivering. He had taken off his mask and Raven could see the tears forming. Her angry face softened and she reached for him. "Beast Boy, I'm so sorry,"

Beast Boy turned away. "Whatever," he said roughly, and walked out the door. Raven just sat there despondent. _I made him cry _she thought sadly. _I made him cry. I never thought that I-- _A thought struck her. _I've said some pretty lousy things to Beast Boy, but I would never wish for his death. I would never even think that. Which means someone else said it. That narrows the list of suspects to exactly one person...  
_

* * *

"Why Raven, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. How are things--" Carson began, but was suddenly encased in black magic and hurled against one of the floating rocks in Raven's mind. He struggled to free himself, but Raven's powers had him trapped. 

"You fucking son of a bitch," Raven snapped, levitating up to threaten him face-to-face. "Why did you do that? Do you just get pleasure out of seeing Beast Boy in pain? Or do you just like using me to hone your ventriliquist skills?"

"What the hell are you babbling about woman?" Carson growled angrily.

"Cut the crap or I bash your balls in again!" Raven roared. "You know damn well what I'm talking about! You spoke through MY mouth and told Beast Boy to kill himself!"

"That? I didn't do that! I don't have that kind of power!" Carson shouted.

Raven socked him in the groin, relishing his groans of pain. Carson said nothing, and Raven began to punch him in the face and stomach over and over again. "_YOU LITTLE BASTARD! YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH! WHY DO YOU KEEP RUINING MY LIFE? WHY MUST YOU CONSTANTLY HURT BEAST BOY; IS IT NOT ENOUGH THAT YOU TOOK AWAY THE GIRL THAT HE--" _She stopped suddenly and looked at Carson in shock. His face was covered in blood, pouring out of his nose, dripping from the corners of his mouth, black eyes. He was a mess. Raven slowly levitated back to the main stone path, releasing Carson from her hold. He fell to the ground and lay there, groaning in pain.

Raven stared down at her hands. The black fabric covering her palms had a slight red tint to it, and her knuckles were purple from her repeated blows to Carson. The assassin slowly rose to his feet, gasping from the exertion of that one simple act. "I swear, by the honor of everyone I've killed...the honorable ones anyway...I didn't say that to Beast Boy. Hell, read my mind. You'll know I didn't," he said slowly. "As much as I enjoy torturing him--"

"Shut up," Raven said dismissively. A sudden thought hit her. "Wait--if you didn't say that to Beast Boy...then who did?"

"That would be me," a voice, thick with malice yet smooth as fine wine said. Raven and Carson looked out at the newcomer and gasped.

It was none other than Cassius Pavayne.

* * *

RR76: I am the KING OF THE EVER THICKENING PLOT (as fourthelement puts it)! Review now. 

**With this chapter, Ascension has passed Carson to be the second most wordy fic I have, behind Things that go Bump in the Night. Yeay for this!**

**KEEP WATCHING THE MEDICINE CABINET! KEEP WATCHING THE MEDICINE CABINET! **


	7. Spiral

RR76: Blah blah blah blah. Yap yap yap yap. Babble babble, pointless banter, blah blah yap yap dribble dribble dribble. Come on, did you come to hear me babble, or did you come to read some hardcore action fight sequences?

Well, either way, you're gonna be disappointed, because this is one of those sappy, tear-jerky chapters. I'm trying to broaden myself past Carson decapitating things left and right, as much fun as that is. So yeah.

**Responses:**

**Due to circumstances beyond the author's control, he can no longer post review responses. He sends his apologies. **

**I still only own the OCs. And Gzzzllbzzklllk. And the word zonsphar.**

**This chapter contains mentions of cannibalism and bloodiness, plus some possible swearing. So yeah.**

**Wanna know something funny? I had a three paragraph rant about how I hate myself typed out. Now it's gone. I'm laughing.**

**With this chapter, Ascension has passed Carson to be my longest story, wordwise. Yeay.**

**

* * *

**  
_The door to the observation deck slid open and the heads of the two men standing guard rolled in. An audible sigh could be heard coming from the man at the windows. "I really should get better guards," he said._

_"Yeah. Too bad you won't get the chance, 'Headmaster'," the attacker called back to him._

_The headmaster turned around to face his attacker. "Why Darkside, whatever do you think you are doing?" he said, a smarmy smile crossing his face._

_"Hmm, well, I think I'm about to either disembowel you, cut off your limbs one by one, slit your wrists and let you bleed to death, or just rip your spine out, I couldn't decide on my way up here," the H.I.V.E Academy student called Darkside said, stepping inside. He drew a sword from his side and admired the gleaming polish on the blade. "But I think I'm going to go with the classic disembowel. Nothing like the look on someone's face when their own entrails come spilling out of their belly. Loads of fun."_

_The headmaster stepped forward, his smile broadening. "Ah, so you must've been the one who staged this rather impressive coup. Half my students dead, the other half about to die...I must compliment you Darkside, I've underestimated you and your friends. Not something I tend to do."_

_"Great. Wonderful. Can we skip the meaningless banter portion of the fight and get to the part where I kill you?" Darkside asked in a bored tone. "I'm kinda anxious to get back home."_

_The headmaster just laughed. "Confident, aren't we?" He stepped within arms reach of his opponent. "You realize that losing doesn't necessarily mean that you die right away. The next few months--years, decades, centuries--will be filled with agony and torment beyond anything that your plebian mind could have ever conceived."_

_"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not going to lose," Darkside spat back, raising his sword._

_Headmaster Pavayne unsheathed his own weapon. "Whatever you say, Elam," he said menacingly. In the blink of an eye, his free hand darted out and smacked Carson's sword from his hands. Carson stared up at the headmaster, who seemed to tower over him. His evil grin widened. "Whatever you say."_

* * *

"I hope you don't mind; the door was unlocked, so I let myself in," Pavayne said, stepping towards Raven. "Not a bad mind you got here Raven. I've been in better ones, of course--you'd be shocked at how neat J. Edgar Hoover kept his--but this, this is good. You know, for you." 

Raven backed away. "What are you doing here?" she asked nervously.

Pavayne smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "Why, I came to visit my dear friend Trigon's daughter. He spoke quite highly of you--'She will be my gateway into the Earth, together we will make all mankind bow before us'. You know, father stuff. I wouldn't know because I've never been a father. Killed plenty, of course, but never been one myself."

Raven closed her eyes and formed a message in her mind (heh, funny). _Carson, we have to run. Now. _She waited for a response and, when none came, turned around to see a notecard with the words "Way ahead of you," in the spot where Carson was. "Great time for a site gag Carson..." she muttered under her breath.

Pavayne laughed heartily. "Well now, you certainly have found yourself between a rock and a hard place. You can't take me, and the only person in the whole wide world--or your mind, at least--who can, is AWOL. This certainly should be interesting." Pavayne was so wrapped up in taunting Raven that he didn't notice the bright flash behind him. Nor did he notice the black-clad, thoroughly beaten teenager who appeared in that bright light, who then drew a wicked black and purple knife from his belt and lunged forward...

...passing right through Pavayne. Carson stumbled forward and turned around in shock. Pavayne sighed. "Ah, it seems my dirty little secret's been exposed. Sorry kids, it seems I'm having solidity issues of late. We'll have to do this another time." He winked at Raven. "Be seein' you soon kid." His body wavered slightly and then, like a fog in the afternoon, dissipated. Carson sighed and put away his knife. He stood there for a long, long time before he turned around to face Raven. "Guess it's about time I gave you the full story on our mutual friend," he said.

"If you don't mind," Raven replied. "And by that I mean--"

"I know, tell you or it's likely that I'll never have children. I know the drill." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again. "Well, for starters, Pavayne isn't necessarily human. Around...oh I'd say, 25,000 B.C. the boys downstairs, if you catch my drift, cast out the first original evil and crowned Lucifer the fallen angel as their king. The F.O.E. was banished to the mortal plane to live out his existence trapped in the body of a mortal, until the day of Lucifer's ascension came."

"Wait--what does that mean?" Raven interrupted.

Carson sighed (for the third time). "I don't have all the answers, okay Raven?" He got back on topic. "Eventually though, the F.O.E.--Hellgod, if you wish--was able to subvert control of the human being and proceeded to bash open the skull of his mate and um, eat her brain. Not a pretty sight." He walked to the edge of the rock platform and sat down, dangling his legs off the edge. "The boys downstairs saw this and got frightened. The Hellgod could, conceivably, find a way to return to Hell and wrest control from Lucifer, the Devil, Satan, whatever you want to call him. So they created a companion for him. A demon bodyguard of sorts."

"That would be Pavayne?" Raven asked.

Carson shook his head. "Yes and no. He hadn't come across the name Pavayne yet. What his name was in those days, not a man among us can remember. Of course, neither Pavayne nor the Hellgod were immortal. Their bodies aged, and eventually, died. But before that could happen, the Hellgod transferred his essence into the body of a human baby. And Pavayne had the uncanny ability to possess people, which he did. And they did that for millennia afterward--using up one body, and taking a new one. It worked quite well--that is, until..."

"...Until what?" Raven pressed.

"Well, Pavayne got ambitious. He began plotting the death of his master, and in mid 1990, killed him in his sleep. The Hellgod had no way of transferring his essence to another body and so faded out of existence. Pavayne, meanwhile, became the headmaster of the H.I.V.E. Academy at the young age of 25, and continued on as their leader until yours truly killed him. Or so I thought." He stopped talking for a long time.

Finally, Raven piped up. "So...is that it?"

Carson rolled his eyes. "No, I'm just taking a dramatic pause," he said sarcastically. "Of course that's it. Now get out."

Raven gaped. "Are you telling me to get out of my own mind?"

"Well, gee Raven." He paused. "I can't think of anything sarcastic to say for once." He shrugged and his body was engulfed in flames, and he was gone. Raven sighed (see, Carson isn't the only one allowed to sigh). "I really need to put a bell around his neck," she thought, making a mental note to look into that.

* * *

Raven stepped into the living room of Titans Tower and looked around. The sun was setting outside, and Starfire was in the kitchen stirring in a bowl and chattering excitedly to the other person in the room. Raven expected it to be Robin, but remembered that he was in Gotham doing her a favor, and pondered who Starfire was talking to. Silkie, perhaps? 

Her question was answered when she saw Beast Boy sitting in a chair, staring forlornly into a steaming cup of...something. _Great. Beast Boy's the last person I need to see right now, _Raven thought bitterly. She couldn't exactly explain to him that it was a 27,000 year old demon/demon summoner that had spouted that venom at him earlier. Besides, apologies weren't exactly her thing. This definitely wouldn't be easy. Starfire saw her out of the corner of her eye and gave Raven the most scathing look she could muster, before silently returning to her stirring. Raven sighed (again!). _Not easy at all..._

She walked up to Beast Boy, searching for the right words. She caught a whiff of the liquid Beast Boy was drinking. Pointing at the cup in his hands, she asked "Isn't that my tea?"

Beast Boy jumped, but calmed down a bit when he realized it was just Raven. "Um...yeah. Sorry," he said sheepishly, not looking up. "I was in the mood for something new."

"Which is the reason for which I have prepared this delicious Gzzzllbzzklllk of my home planet!" Starfire chirped, tossing a plate of a translucent pink blob that resembled watermelon-flavored Jell-O. "Please devour the fruit of my labors, my humorous green friend! I do hope that this will raise your spirits," she added, throwing another glare Raven's way. She walked into the living room and settled down to watch World of Fungus.

Beast Boy took a spoon, dug into the Gzzzllbzzklllk and shoved it in his mouth. "Not bad," he said with his mouth full, and swallowed the blobby goodness. He held out the plate to Raven. "Wanna share?"

Raven wrinkled her nose. "No thanks."

"It really isn't as disgusting as it looks Raven," he whispered so that Starfire couldn't hear him.

"This coming from the king of disgusting soy products," Raven said dryly, rolling her eyes. Beast Boy's face fell and he went back to shoveling down his plate of Gzzzllbzzklllk. "Look, Beast Boy...about earlier...I wanted to say--"

"Something really really hurtful that makes fun out of either my green skin or the fact that I try nonstop to make you happy and you constantly reject me?" Beast Boy snapped angrily, dropping the spoon into the gelatinous blob.

"Well, I was going to go with 'I'm sorry,' but--"

"Yeah, sure. 'Sorry Beast Boy. Won't happen again. By the way, you're a dumbass.' I've memorize this tune Raven, sing me another one," he said sarcastically.

Raven was surprised, to say the least. "When did you get this cynical?" she asked, part frustrated with her lack of progress, part impressed by his cynicism.

"Somewhere between Terra burning to death and you telling me to kill myself, I lost track of time," he snapped.

"Look, Beast Boy, I'm trying to apologize--"

"Why don't you go tell it to Robin, since he's the only one you talk to anymore. Or better yet, why don't you have a nice long chat with Malchior? I'm sure he's _dying _to hear how you're do--"

A grey hand suddenly slapped him across the face. Beast Boy looked up to see Raven, her eyes red, tears forming. Without another word, she stood up and strode right out of the living room. Beast Boy knew from experience that it was in his best interests not to follow her, so instead he did what any normal teenage boy would do in his position: He picked up the teacup and hurled it into the wall, shattering it into a million pieces and getting the attention of Starfire.

Beast Boy's shoulders slumped and his ears drooped. He stared at the ground, feeling the tears forming in his own eyes. "Why does she hate me?" he said, his voice cracking.

A comforting hand rested on his shoulder. "She does not hate you, friend. The Malchior remains difficult for Raven to discuss with others. Perhaps reminding her of it was not an especially--"

"You think I don't know that?" he roared. He said it with such force that Starfire took a step back, a shocked expression on her face. Beast Boy's face softened. "Star...I'm sorry...God, I'm so..." he broke down. Starfire stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, letting Beast Boy cry into her shoulder.

* * *

Blood flew from Carson's mouth as another punch landed. He ducked, avoiding a kick to his head and thrust outward with his knife. His opponent sidestepped the thrust and drove her knee into Carson's face, making him fall to the surface of the rocky platform he was on. He looked to his right to see he had dropped his knife and reached for it. A metal clad foot smashed his wrist, making him howl in pain. His attacker brushed a strand of blond hair out of her face and stooped over, picking up the knife. She held it over Carson's chest and, with a haughty laugh, brought it down, stabbing through his heart. She picked up the body, knife and all, and threw it off the edge of the platform. Carson landed in the concrete streets with a thud, a laugh echoing in his ears. He looked over his shoulder to see Terra lead Slade's robot army away from his broken body. 

Carson shouted in frustration and slammed his fist into the sidewalk. "What the hell am I doing wrong?" he yelled to no one in particular. The image of the deserted city faded and was replaced by the dull reds and rocky platforms Carson had grown accustomed to. "That's the third time she's beaten me!"

"Maybe she's just...better than you?" a silky voice said...silkily, I guess. Carson turned around to see the body of Cassius Pavayne materialize, his ever-wicked smile present.

"You should be happy I killed her them," Carson mocked. "If she's better than me, and I'm better than you, well...I guess it goes without saying."

Pavayne gave a loud sigh. "You were so much better at insults when you were evil." He shook his head. "But I didn't come to trade...how was it you put it? 'Meaningless banter?' Yes, that's it. I came to make a deal."

"Is that right?" Carson said with an air of not-caring.

"Well, since your last job was for an interdimentional demon--one of the Three, I might add--I figure it's only natural that you would do an old friend a little favor."

Carson laughed and walked right through Pavayne, down the path to some different part of Raven's mind. "We aren't friends," he called over his shoulder.

"Not you and I, perhaps. But way back when, say, 1810?" Carson stopped. "It was just you and me, Napoleon. Well, you, me, and an army of thousands at our back but I think you get the picture." His grin grew ever more wicked. "Perhaps I should paint one for your friend Raven? I do wonder what she'd say when she learned that she has the Hellgod living in her mind."

Carson continued walking. "She already knows," he called back to Pavayne.

The demon summoner rematerialized in front of Carson. "Would you at least hear me out?" he said, putting on a fake pout. Carson sighed (again) and folded his arms. "Fine. Talk."

Pavayne smiled a regular, Pavayne-y smile. "I want you to kill Raven."

Carson unfolded his arms. "What?" he asked. "I'm sorry, lemme rephrase that: WHAT?"

"It's quite simple: You kill Raven, I can take full control of her body and powers and use them to kill her friends. You'd be indirectly responsible for the deaths of the Teen Titans."

Carson gave a small smile. "Sounds interesting. What's in it for me?"

"I'll give you your life back," Pavayne said. "I will return you to the outside world. Plus, all the money in the Tower's vault. Hell, take the Tower for all I care. I won't have any need for it."

"Done deal," Carson said with a grin. "On one condition."

"Name it."

"I want to be the one to kill the Titans."

* * *

The vortex dissipated around Raven as she appeared in her mind. She glanced around, again noticing the lack of any of her emotions, wondering about that, but brushing it off for later. She walked to the edge of the platform and sat, dangling her legs off the edge and burying her face in her hands, sobbing softly. 

She didn't notice the 14 year old boy walk up behind her. She didn't notice the gleam of menace in his eye. Nor did she notice the shotgun in his hands, the evil smile. She didn't notice any of it.

Carson stopped walking and cocked the shotgun. The sound caught Raven's attention and she turned around, her eyes red, tears streaming down her face. "What do you want now?" she asked, her voice cracking.

The evil smile on Carson's face disappeared. There was no fear in Raven's voice. No rage. No sarcasm. And Carson didn't see the warrior he had come to hate along with the rest of those self-righteous punks. He saw a frail, emotionally wrecked girl in need of someone.

When Carson spoke, it wasn't an insult. Nor a threat or a warcry. He said "What's wrong?"

Raven turned away and looked down at the void beneath her. "I don't wanna talk about it," she said, sniffling.

"Is...is there anything I can do?" Carson asked.

Raven wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and turned back to face the void. Slowly, hesitantly, Carson walked over to the edge and sat down next to her, setting the shotgun next to him. The two of them sat there in silence, staring at the red and black sky.

Raven finally spoke. "Why are you being so nice?"

Carson smiled faintly. "I guess...I...don't really know." He stared down at the void beneath him. "Oh, and F.Y.I, Pavayne hired me to kill you."

Raven spun around.

"_What?"_

* * *

RR76: I really, really didn't like the ending to this chapter. Tell me what you thought. Review. Now. Or face the wrath of something. 

The medicine cabinet, people. Pickle it. Varnish it. Store it in a jar. Just WATCH it. FOCUS people.


	8. Unleashed

RR76: Still can't answer reviews. DAMMIT! Well yeah. I still haven't started school. Yeay for me. I'm hungry. No I'm not.

So yeah. Start reading my crappy story, or I'll kill you.

* * *

The R-Cycle screeched to a halt, throwing sand into the air. Robin dismounted and removed his helmet, taking in the landscape. For a barren patch of sand and cacti, the Mojave desert was quite lovely. But he hadn't come to look at pretty flowers and bleached bones. He had found a page in Carson's journal that had a set of coordinents. Coordinents that led right into the middle of the Mojave desert. Either there was something of interest here, or Carson put that there as a prank to anyone who would steal his journal. Either way, Robin felt it called for an investigation. And we all know how much Robin loves to investigate things. Like Starfire's panty drawer. HA! 

Ahem.

So Robin found himself in the center of the desert, staring out at the desert before him. And he saw...nothing. Not a single thing. Literally, not one skull, cactus, flower, nothing but endless sand. Robin walked around for a bit, searching for something out of place. He found it in the form of a soft metal clang as his foot connected with the ground. Robin stooped over and brushed away some sand, surprised at what he found.

It was a door.

* * *

Raven stared at Carson, her mouth wide open. "Pavayne...Pavayne hired you to kill me? And you ACCEPTED HIS OFFER?" 

"Well...yeah," Carson said matter-of-factly. "You didn't notice the shotgun?"

Raven sighed in frustration. "Can I not trust you to not kill me for five seconds?"

"Hey, I didn't use the gun, did I?" Carson said in his defense.

"No...I guess you didn't," Raven said quietly.

"And you know, I've told you before that I could always--"

"Kill me before I can bat an eyelash, yeah." Raven looked at him. "What did Pavayne offer you?"

Carson smiled faintly. "He said that he could take control of your body once you were dead and give me my life back. Not just my life, but Titan's Tower. And the lives of your friends. It was tempting..."

Raven laughed bitterly. "Of course. You'd give anything to kill us." She paused. "But then why didn't you shoot?"

Carson's smile faded a bit. "I guess...I saw you sitteing there and you reminded me of someone. Someone I knew a long time ago..." he trailed off.

After a moment of silence, Carson stood up. "You'd better get out of here. Your friends are probably wondering where you are." He began to walk down the winding path.

"Carson!" Raven called after him. The assassin turned around. "...Thanks," she said. "For not killing me."

Carson smiled. "Don't read too much into it Raven," he joked. "You're just lucky I hate Pavayne slightly more than you." With that, the usual burning flames surrounded his body and he was gone.

* * *

Raven opened her eyes to find herself back in her own room on her bed, her mirror in her hands. A soft knock echoed throughout the room. Raven got up and opened the door slightly to see Beast Boy standing outside. "Um...hi Raven," he said nervously. "Mind if I come in?" Raven said nothing and Beast Boy sighed. "You're still mad then. Well, I'll...talk to you later." He turned to leave. 

"Beast Boy," Raven called. She opened the door all the way and stepped to the side. Beast Boy walked in. He waited a few moments, then began to talk. "I don't know where to start."

Raven leaned against the wall, arms folded over her chest. "Let me guess, you came to say something else really hurtful, and you couldn't do it over your communicator, because the best part is the look on my face--"

"I came to apologize," Beast Boy said quietly.

"It's funny, I could have sworn I tried something like that not two hours ago, and if I recall you weren't too willing to listen then. So why should I?"

"Would you just shut up already?" Beast Boy snapped. Raven shut her mouth, surprised at the outburst. Beast Boy sighed again, running a hand through his messy green hair. "Look. We've been taking alot of cheap shots at each other lately."

"More so than usual," Raven muttered.

"And it's destroying our friendship, or whatever we have that passes for one. I want to put this behind us. I really am sorry for what I said about Malchior." Raven fidgeted a bit at the name, and Beast Boy continued. "So...I guess the only thing left is...will you forgive me?"

"Wow," Raven said dryly. "I've...never seen you this meek before. Except for that one time." She sat on her bed and looked down at her feet. "I...I accept your apology Beast Boy. And I'm sorry for what I said. I don't really want you to die."

Beast Boy laughed softly. "I kinda got that after you threatened to kill Terra if she hurt me." Raven smiled a bit at the memory (Aftershock part 2 for the uninformed) "Um...I'll go now." He made his way to the door.

"Stop." Beast Boy turned around in surprise. He hadn't expected Raven to invite him to stay. "Last night...when I was up late and you were worried about me...you were right. Something is wrong."

Beast Boy sat next to Raven on her bed. "Raven please, tell me."

"I..."

"Please Raven." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Robin isn't the only one you can trust around here."

Raven looked him in the eye. "I know. It's just...I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Beast Boy asked, subconciously edging his face closer to hers. "The boogyman?"

"Something damn close," Raven said with a short laugh.

"It's okay Raven," Beast Boy reassured her. "I'll protect you."

Her face edged closer to his. "Beast Boy..." she whispered. Their lips were a centimeter apart.

* * *

Inside Raven's mind, a bodiless voice chuckled merrily. "Showtime," it said in a singsong tone.

* * *

Raven stopped suddenly. "Leave," she hissed. 

Beast Boy stared at her. "Raven, what's--"

"LEAVE!" she roared. The door opened wide and Beast Boy was flung outside. The door slammed shut and locked. The sounds of the shapeshifter's fists pounding on the door echoed throughout the room.

Raven ignored them and strode to the chest in the corner of the room. The lid flung open under the influence of her powers and a large white book sat. "What do you think you are doing?" the book asked in a bored tone.

"Shut up dragon," Raven muttered. "You'll owe me for this."

"What are you babbling about woman?" it growled.

"I said shut up!" Raven snapped, setting the book on the floor. Vases and containers flew off the shelves, forming a circle in the center of her room. Raven threw the book into the circle.

"That hurt, you know," Malchior said irritably.

Raven suddenly decided that the constant pounding and shouting from outside was annoying. "SHUT UP YOU MISERABLE GREEN BASTARD!" she roared, reaching out with her powers. Screams of pain could be heard outside, and finally, all was quiet.

Raven turned her attention back to the task at hand. "Why Raven," Malchior purred. "You're going to release me? I didn't know you cared."

"Shut up you babbling idiot," she growled. "There are bigger and more important things at stake here. You are going to see to it that my Ascension goes along as planned."

Malchior began to feel uneasy. "You aren't Raven, are you?" he asked suspiciously.

The thing that had posessed Raven smiled through her mouth. "Not exactly, no."

"...Pavayne..." Malchior spat. "Hell spawn, servant of the Ancient one."

"The Ancient one can kiss my pretty round girlish ass," Pavayne hissed. He paused. "Don't tell anyone I said that," he said quickly. If Malchior had eyes, he'd be rolling them.

"Now then," Pavayne contined. "On to business." He cleared his throat. "Hezberek Et Morine Gost Wenthen Verbis Nex,"

"Raven!" Another voice coming from outside. Starfire.

"Raven, open the door!" Cyborg.

"Raven, please..." A third voice, weaker. Pained. Beast Boy.

Pavayne ignored their pleas. "Ind Obrium Bis Pendrule Paran Sic Cortis Rex!"

A bright light filled the room. The book containing Malchior glowed white and burst open suddenly, light pouring from it's pages. Pavayne smiled one last time, then fainted, his control over Raven lost.

The door to Raven's room exploded and the three Titans rushed in, Cyborg leading the way. He quickly scanned the room. "Raven!" he called.

"There!" Starfire shouted, pointing. Raven lay unconcious at the edge of her bed.

Cyborg's gaze turned to the book in the center of the room. "The book!" he shouted. "Destroy the book!" A green wolf charged into the room, teeth bared, ready to shred Malchior's book to pulp. A blast shot from the book, striking him in the chest and knocking him into the wall.

A huge purple and black shape began to emerge from the light. Two massive wings spread, knocking holes in the celing, followed by claws...and a head. The light faded and the dragon Malchior stood in it's place, barely fitting in the tiny room. He stared down at the girl lying in front of them and smiled. "Pleasent dreams, my sweet Raven," he crowed, and lunged.

A blue blast struck him in the face and Malchior's head snapped back. He stared at Cyborg with contempt and roared. "Another time then," he said, and smashed through the wall, heading for the city.

Beast Boy rushed over to Raven. "Raven! Are you..."

Raven stirred a bit in his arms and her eyes opened slightly. "Beast Boy..." she whispered.

"What were you thinking?" he asked. "You just set Malchior loose on the city!"

"No...no, I would never..." Raven's eyes closed and she slumped back into unconciousness.

"Raven!" Beast Boy shouted, shaking the girl.

"Come on, the dragon's getting away!" Cyborg shouted. He and Starfire ran towards the massive hole in Raven's wall. The two turned to see their friend still clinging Raven to himself. "Beast Boy, come on!"

"But...Raven..." he said, unable to tear himself away.

"She'll be fine! We have to go after Malchior!"

"But..." A hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up to see Starfire with a smile on her face, despite what was happening.

"Raven will be fine," she said, reassuring him. "She has been in worse situations. Trust us."

Beast Boy looked at her, and a determined look crossed his face. He got to his feet and morphed into a hawk, flying out the hole with Cyborg and Starfire close behind.

* * *

A fireball smashed into a skyscraper. Malchior laughed and sprayed hot death across the city, relishing the dying screams coming from below. His merriment was cut short as a blue light struck him in the eye, blinding him. He roared in pain and looked up with his one good eye to see Starfire flying through the air, carrying Cyborg by his shoulders. She hurled the metal man at Malchior and he fired another shot, followed by a volley of starbolts from his alien companion. Malchior retaliated with a fireball, striking Starfire and sending her into the side of a building. 

Cyborg landed roughly and activated his second sonic cannon, firing both in unison. Panels in his shoulders opened up and dozens of missiles launched themselves at Malchior, hitting him in various places. The sonic barrage continued, pushing Malchior backwards. Suddenly, the attack stopped and both sonic cannons powered down. Cyborg stared down at them to see a flashing light that indicated they had overheated. He cursed under his breath and activated his chainsaw, rushing at Malchior. The blade pierced the dragon's tough hide, cutting through one of his legs. Malchior screeched and snapped his tail forward, smashing into Cyborg's chest and hurling him down the street. Malchior smirked triumphantly, and stared down at his last bit of opposition.

The tiny green shapeshifter stood in the street, staring with unbridled hatred at the dragon. "Come now boy," Malchior taunted. "Do you truly believe you can defeat me when your friends couldn't? What are you going to do, throw a stankball at me?" He chuckled at his barb.

"You," Beast Boy growled. "You hurt Raven. You'll pay."

Malchior laughed. "Ah yes. Raven. Poor, stupid, gullible Raven. I do wonder what she was thinking when she freed me again. Surely she knew her fate was to be the same as the rest of yours. On second thought, perhaps I should keep her. She would make an excellent pet."

"You stay away from her!" Beast Boy cried.

"Ah, I struck a nerve," Malchior said. "Hmm, perhaps I will keep you alive longer than your friends, human. Keep you alive, and make you watch what I do to Raven. It has been quite some time since I had a virgin girl."

"I'm not gonna let you eat her!" Beast Boy shouted.

Malchior chuckled. "Dear child," he mocked, "who said anything about eating?"

That pushed him over the edge. Beast Boy felt the rage bubbling inside of him. The fury that threatened to swallow his heart. And Beast Boy let it. His muscles bulged and grew, his bones crunched and groaned as they rearranged themselves. His teeth sharpened into fangs. His suit tore to shreds. And, with Starfire and Cyborg looking on, the Beast that had once been their friend gave a roar of primal fury.

* * *

Carson stood on the proverbial sidelines inside Raven's mind, watching the action from afar. Well, he had gotten as far as Malchior being released and escaping, he missed what was going on. But Raven could sense the Beast's return, and so could he. "Malchior," he chuckled to himself, "you are so gonna get it." 

"I wouldn't be so sure," Pavayne's voice called. Carson turned to see the demon summoner walking down the path to him. "That beast versus an ageless dragon? No contest."

"Great, ask me if I care," Carson replied. "I only hate Malchior because he's part of your plan, and I would so love to stick a pin in your plans. Again."

Pavayne laughed softly. "Why Carson, Malchior has nothing to do with my plan."

Carson's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I was hoping to do this differently," Pavayne continued, ignoring Carson's question. "Usurping control of Raven would be much easier if she was already dead. But I took what I could get. I know that I can control the girl. For how long, I do not know, but still. It should suffice."

"Does this have a point?" Carson sighed impatiently.

"It was supposed to be so simple, have you kill Raven and the rest of the Titans, and then nothing would stand in the way of my Ascension. But things never do turn out as planned." Pavayne sighed. "Malchior is...a but crude, but he does get the job done. One way or another, the Titans will die, and I will reign supreme over this world." He looked at Carson. "You, on the other hand..."

He walked towards the boy. "I had high hopes for you. You were to rule at my side for all time. But you went back on our deal. You spared the girl. And so now, I have to kill you."

Carson laughed. "What're you gonna do, walk through me to death?"

Pavayne grinned. "Not quite." With that, he drew back his fist and punched Carson in the face. Carson stared at the demon summoner in shock.

"I do have one last ace up my sleeve."

* * *

RR76: I command you to review. Or I'll, like, kill you. Or something. 


	9. To Slay the Beast

Raidersrule76,

The following review has been submitted to: To love and die in El Paso Texas Chapter: 1

From: BB'sGirlfriendandRavenFan ()  
ok i havent read this yet but the title caught my eye cause i live in  
el paso and i was wondering if u do?and if so how old and wuts ur name?

Hehe.

Better luck next time pal.

Moving on, I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I've been busy. High school's a massive bitch. The size of a girl named Paris. Hilton.

And for the record, I still don't own Teen Titans.

**Random Shit:**

**"There's nothing but drama when Angel relocates to Los Angeles!"-TNT description of Angel episode "City Of..." HA!  
**

**This chapter is dedicated to the Queenie person for having to put up with, among other things, a bastard kid from Florida, a bitchy girl on the Internet, grandparents, and a creepy stalker man. Go you Queenie.**

**Code Lyoko Bullshit of the Week:**

**"YOU! ARE! GOING! TO! DIE!"-Xana**

**And...**

**"DoyouliketheletterYumi? Becauseinfact,Iactuallywroteitforyou!"-Ugly Dude w/Sword**

* * *

Beast Boy--or, more accurately, the Beast (for convenience's sake) lunged forward and leaped into the air. He/it/whatever drew back a massive fist and slammed upward into Malchior's jaw. A claw reached out and dug into Malchior's scalp, stopping the Beast's ascent. He landed on the dragon's head, opened his mouth wide and bit into Malchior's neck. Malchior screeched in pain and snapped his neck back and fourth, finally succeeding in dislodging the offending beast, sending him--it--ARG! Sending it flying into the side of a building. A green blur shot from the building and flew past Malchior's face, raking a claw across the dragon's eye as it went. Malchior let loose a stream of flame at the Beast, who could do little more than dodge his attacks. 

A blast of sonic energy crashed into Malchior's chest, distracting him momentarily. Cyborg had struggled back to his feet and was using every ounce of power he could muster to keep Malchior at bay. Malchior whipped his tail forward, slamming it into Cyborg and hurling him down the street. A starbolt crashed into the mighty dragon's head. He looked up to see Starfire, hurling hot death at Malchior mercilessly. The Beast roared in primal fury and rushed toward Malchior's foot, biting down on his toe. Malchior laughed, raised his front claw and snapped it forward, hurling the green werebeast through the air and into Starfire.

He laughed. "Fools! Do you not know who it is that you are dealing with? I am Malchior! I slaughtered millions and annihalated entire empires before your feeble human minds could even grasp the concept of fire!

"Um, hold up," Cyborg called. "How could you slaughter millions and bring down entire empires if humans hadn't even figured out fire?"

Malchior tilted his massive head. "Um, well...that is...SILENCE!" He sent a fireball hurtling toward Cyborg, who barely dodged in time. "You cannot stop me. None can stop me! I will tear you all open, devour your entrails, and make merry sport with your local virgins!This entire world will worship me!"

"Worship _THIS!" _a voice cried. A shadow suddenly appeared over Malchior. The dragon looked up to see a massive building, encased in a black aura, falling at an alarming rate, right towards his head. His ears drooped. "Oh fu--"

CRASH! The building smashed into Malchior, burying him in a mountain of concrete and steel beams. After a moment, the mountain was incinerated by...something very very hot. Perhaps fire. Malchior rose up and stared at the sky. If he was physically capable of smiling, he'd be grinning right now.

A blue cloaked, gray faced, lavender haired witch floated in front of Malchior.

"Hello lover."

* * *

Carson's fist flew through the air and connected with Pavayne's jaw. The demon summoner's head snapped back and doubled over in pain as the teenage mercenary's foot buried itself in his stomach. A flash of purple caught his eye and Pavayne grabbed Carson's wrist before his knife could disembowel him. "You're still too slow boy," Pavayne taunted. "You'd think awakening superhuman demonic powers after back to back near death experiences would give you at least SOME edge on me." 

"And you still can't taunt your way out of a paper bag," Carson snapped, tearing his arm out of Pavayne's grip and swinging his leg in the direction of his head. Pavane ducked and drove his fist into Carson's torso, sending him flying backward.

Pavayne stood and adjusted his coat. "Doesn't it bother you at all? That you, the incarnation of all that is dark and impure and naughty--even confined in the body of a human child--can't even take on an old timer like yours truly. All that anger and frustration, it's going to reach a boiling point one of these days."

"Luckily, I know who I can take all that anger and frustration out on," Carson replied, pulling his shotgun out from behind him. "And for the record," he added, cocking the weapon, "it's not the Hellgod you're up against." He fired. Pavayne dodged. "Oooh, scary teenager's got a gun. Lord knows that never happens." Pavayne laughed at his own wit, taking his eyes off of his opponent for only a split second. That split second proved to be his downfall.

He felt someone grab him from behind. "You know something Cassius?" Carson's voice asked. A huge boom, like an explosion, echoed throughout Raven's mind, and a gaping hole appeared in the demon summoner's chest. "That was really in bad taste." He tossed Pavayne to the ground, where he looked up weakly, a cocky grin still etched on his face. "Not dead yet?" Carson asked. "Too bad. For you, anyway." He strode towards Pavayne, grabbed him by the collar, and held him up.

Just then, Pavayne did something very unexpected. He knocked away Carson's hands, punched him in the stomach, twice in the face, and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him sailing once more through the air. "I. Wasn't. Done. TALKING!"

Carson laughed, coughed, then laughed some more. "What's wronge Pavayne," he mocked. "That time of the month already?"

Pavayne growled and sent a ball of white hot energy at Carson, smashing him in the chest once more. "You don't know what you're up against. I am no mere demon. I am Cassius Pavayne. Servant of the most foul and evil of all evils."

"Yeah, what was that last word? 'Servant?'" Carson said mockingly. "You've been walking the Earth with the Hellgod for eternity, and the best you could manage was the sidekick. Hell, even ROBIN rose above that eventually. And when Robin beats you at something, you know you're pathetic."

Pavayne smiled. "You have no idea what you're saying, do you boy?" At that moment, twin wings of flame sprouted from Pavayne's back and unfurled themselves, spreading at least 20 feet. "I did eventually rise above my master of old. Let's see, demon with the powers of posession, ultimate evil asleep in the other room...do I really need to spell it out for you?"

Carson's face paled. "You...you posessed the Hellgod..." he whispered.

Pavayne chuckled. "Ding. We have ourselves a winner."

"Then...how do I..."

"Exist?" Pavayen finished. "Satan doesn't let me in on these things ever since the whole ruining his grand master plan thing."

"Grand...master...?"

Pavayne's smile grew wider. "Oops...did I say that? Well, you're going to die anyway, so might as well fill you in on the details. That grand master plan? The boys downstairs have been brewing that up for millenia. Starts with Everyone, ends with Dies. Apocalypse, to the uninformed. And you, my dear boy," he mocked, "will have a very...very...big part in it all."

Carson rose to his feet. "I'M the grand master plan?"

Pavayne rolled his eyes and hit Carson with another bolt of demonic energy. "No, you self absorbed fool, you play a PART in it. I do have to spell it out, don't I?" His wings flapped ever so slightly and he floated over to Carson. "Raven goes through the Ascension--"

"Which is?"

Pavayne sighed. "That's for me to know." He continued. "Raven goes through the Ascension, giving the boys downstairs a powerful ally in the apocalypse. Then, at the right time, along comes Carson. You and Raven destroy the world, the armies of Hell rejoyce, and the kingdom of Heavan (crappy movie) gets a visit from an army of mightily pissed off demons."

Carson pondered this for a moment. "So...Raven ascends, or whatever, and then I..."

Pavayne's smile grew ever wider, past the point of being physically possible. "Now you're catching on."

"...But what am I then?" he asked. "If you control the Hellgod...then how is it even possible for me to exist?"

"Exist?" Pavayne finished. "You still don't understand, do you? I took over the body of the Hellgod. All his knowledge, experience, and, oh yes, powers, were and still are mine to command. You just got his spirit. And by way of power, I've got the lions' share. You just get the leftovers. Demon strength, speed, reflexes, plus a few extras. Command of fire and teleportation, incidentally," Pavayne expositioned, brushing some lint off his jacket (tch, what a girl). "Now, I believe I was just about to--AUGH!"

"Carelessness is your enemy," Carson crowed. Pavayne looked down. Carson's knife was lodged in Pavayne's stomach. Carson smirked and twisted the blade, sending wave after wave of agony through his archenemy's body.

"Now, I'm guessing that doing this won't kill you," Carson said, "seeing as how I blew out your chest with a shotgun and you were still standing. Plus that whole deal about us not being technically alive. But I'm pretty sure, judging by the look on your face and the various groans that you're, well, groaning, that it hurts like hell." He pulled the knife out and Pavayne collapsed on the ground, panting. "And for the record, I can still taunt way better than you."

Pavayne closed his eyes and smiled. He began to chuckle softly, and then laughed openly. Very loudly, very evily. "Congradulations child," he said in between laughs. "But that won't save you now. Or your friend Raven."

"The hell are you--" Carson looked up from Pavayne to see a window. Yes, a window. Essensially, that's what it was. A window to the outside world. Through the eyes of Raven.

* * *

"Raven..." Malchior said slowly, both syllables dripping with icy menace. "How are you dearheart? It's been ages. Or at least it seems like it has been. Time doesn't really fly when you're TRAPPED IN A BOOK AND LOCKED INSIDE A WOODEN CHEST FOR A YEAR AND A HALF!" He sent a stream of flame at Raven, who blocked it with a screen of protectivey goodness. 

"So you didn't enjoy your time in the book?" Raven asked. "That's too bad. You have my sympathies. After all, you're going to be spending alot of time there. And this time," she added, "it'll be for alot longer than a year and a half." She brought out Rorek's massive book and chanted. "Aldruon Enlen--"

A stream of fire shot through the air and enveloped the book. A pile of ashes floated in the wind where the book had been. Raven stared at Malchior in shock.

His thin, dragon lips curled into a wicked smile. "Oops. Did I do that?" Another fireball shot through the air and struck Raven. A mighty roar echoed through the now empty street as the Beast latched onto Malchior's front foot...paw, I guess...ahem. Malchior laughed. "This is starting to get weak," he said, unimpressed, and flicked the Beast off with his free...paw...foot...thingy...into the side of a building. Blue sonic energy and green starbolt mixed and struck Malchior in the chest. He smirked and sent streams of flame in Cyborg and Starfire's respective directions. Their attacks ceaced suddenly. Malchior looked back at Raven. "Just you and me now, girl..."

* * *

Carson stared at the massive purple and black dragon. "This isn't happening..." he moaned. His gaze drifted back to Pavayne, who was laughing harder and eviler than ever. "You know the drill," he mocked. "Raven dies, I take over her body, you go to Hell. Which has changed alot since you were last there, I've heard." 

"Shut up," Carson growled.

"What's this, did I strike a nerve?" Pavayne laughed. "Who's bad at mocking now, boy?"

"Shut up," Carson growled louder.

Pavayne stopped laughing...then laughed again, even harder than before. "If only your beloved Jessica was here to--"

"SHUT UP!" Carson drove the knife down into Pavayne's torso, or what was left of it anyway. As soon as the blade pierced Pavayne's flesh, his body turned to mist and he disappeared, his laughter echoing in the air. Carson pulled his knife from the rocky ground and slid it back into it's sheath. "Kicked his ass," he breathed. He turned to head...somewhere else, when he saw someone dressed in all white standing, her shoulders slumped, her head bowed.

"...Raven?"

"He's too strong Carson," Raven sighed. "I can't defeat Malchior. The book...it's..."

"The hell with the book," Carson said. "Don't you read? He's a dragon! People slay dragons! Make with the slayage!"

"I can't, don't you see?" Raven yelled, turning to face Carson, tears in her eyes. "He taught me everything I know..."

"Bullshit," Carson snapped. "You knew a helluva lot of stuff before Malchior came along."

"And none of it is enough," she sobbed. "Carson, I don't have the kind of power it would take to defeat Malchior."

At that moment, the proverbial lightbulb went off in Carson's head. He took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around Raven, pulling her close to him. Raven forgot who it was she was hugging and buried her face in Carson's chest, comfortable in the embrace.

"You just leave that little detail to me."

* * *

Malchior towered over Raven, glaring down at her body. "I was kind of hoping it would end this way," Malchior said with a smirk on his dragony face. He inhaled and let out a massive fireball at Raven. 

As if someone threw a switch inside her head, Raven snapped into action. Her powers wrapped around the fireball, stopping it inches away from her face. With a grunt, she sent the fireball back at Malchior, striking him in the chest. The dragon staggered backward and stared coldly at Raven. "I don't recall teaching you--"

"Be silent," Raven snapped, raising an arm. A blue flame shot from it, hitting Malchior. He let loose a roar of pain and collapsed to the ground in sheer agony. "Raven...please...mercy...you love me, remember?"

Raven's eyes turned jet black. "Raven who?" A surge of power shot through the flame into Malchior. He let loose a much longer, much louder roar of pain and shrieked in horror as his thick dragon hide began to ooze and melt away. Internal organs sizzled and popped, and with one last roar, Malchior the dragon exploded. As the smoke cleared and the other three Titans emerged from the wreckage, they saw the great monument to Ravens' (or was it? Dun dun dun...) power: Malchiors' complete skeleton lying in the center of the abandoned street.

* * *

"Hey Raven." 

Raven turned from the living room window to see Beast Boy standing behind her. It had been hours since the battle with Malchior, and though he seemed to be fine, Beast Boy still walked with a limp. "Hey, Beast Boy," Raven sighed, turning back to the window.

Beast Boy stepped up next to her. "Cyborg says that the damage to the Tower isn't too severe. Compared to what it's gone through before. Heh, if it can get through being gingerbread-ized, it can get through a little hole in the wall," he joked. Raven just stood stoicly. Beast Boy cleared his throat. "Um, listen...about earlier...back when I was in your room...when we--"

"They hate me, don't they?" Raven said quickly. "Cyborg and Starfire. They hate me for what I did."

Beast Boy put a hand on her shoulder. "No...of course they don't."

"Don't lie," Raven snapped. "Of course they do. They think that I released Malchior."

Beast Boy's eyes narrrowed. "Well...you kinda did."

"I didn't!" Raven cried, turning to Beast Boy. "I swear, that wasn't me!" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look...everything that's happened recently...the demons coming in, the way I've been acting...Malchior...it's all part of something bigger. Something massive. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I know that it'll be because of me. I...I'm going to destroy the world again Beast Boy. I don't know how. I just know I will." Words rang in her mind...Ascension...Pavayne...Hellgod...Porridge...Porridge?

"No you won't," Beast Boy said firmly. "We've stopped this before, Raven. We can do it again."

"We can't."

"Let me guess...ancient prophecy fortelling terrible pain and torture and apocalypse?"

Raven paused. "Well...actually no."

"Then hell, we can work this." He sighed. "If there's anything I've learned from the whole Trigon deal, it's that nothing is set in stone. We make our own descisions. Destiny, schmestiny."

Raven laughed softly. "Wow. That was pretty deep, for you. Right up until the 'destiny schmestiny' line."

"Heh, I'm not all jokes and dumbass remarks. I can be pretty smart sometimes Raven."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Suuuuure...and I'm Bela Lugosi."

Beast Boy's ears perked. "You are? Sweet! Can I be the Brooklyn Gorilla?"

This time Raven laughed a real belly laugh. "You're just full of surprises, you know that Beast Boy?"

"So are you. I never knew you could say such corny lines."

Raven punched him playfully. "Watch your mouth, Garfield." They shared another laugh. Raven stared at Beast Boy, her eyes sparkling with tears. She suddenly threw her arms around Beast Boy and hugged him as tightly as she could. "I don't know what I'd do without you..."

"Well, odds are you'd live another 20 years longer," Beast Boy quipped. He put his arms around her and hugged back, resting his head on her shoulder. "I love you Raven..."

"What was that?"

"Uh, nothing!" Beast Boy said quickly. Raven just sighed. "So...um, is there anything I can do to...help with the whole apocalypse thing?"

Raven thought for a moment. "Actually, yes. Yes there is." She released the shape-shifter and turned away, taking a deep breath. "Go get Cyborg and Starfire. It's time I let them in on a secret."

* * *

Carson sat on the platform, dangling his legs over the edge, staring down into the great void that was Raven's mind. He suddenly felt a push against his back and tipped over. He quickly drew his knife and dug it into the ground to halt his fall. Carson looked up at his attacker to see a pair of pink boots. Confused, Carson looked up into the eyes of a pink-cloaked Raven clone holding a bowl. She dug a spoon into it and held it in front of Carson's face. "Porridge?" she asked. 

"No, thanks," Carson replied darkly, pulling himself up. He eyed his companion carefully. "You aren't Raven..."

The girl giggled and Carson sweatdropped. "Nope! Well, technically. I'm her happier side. Nice to meetcha!" She held out a hand--one of the few parts that wasn't drenched in pink. Carson just stared stared at the hand, his eyes narrowed. "We can do this all day if you want," Happiness said. Carson sighed and gripped the girl's hand, shaking it softly. Happiness giggled and sat down next to Carson.

"I haven't seen you around too much," Carson said, sheathing his knife.

Happiness ate another spoonfull of her porridge. "Nope, not really. I'm the side Raven doesn't like to show so often. Besides, she hasn't really had much reason to be happy lately."

"And she does now?"

"Killing Malchior feels good, even if she didn't do much of the killing. And...something happened out there just now to make her feel like letting me prance about."

"Good," Carson said wearily. "Go prance. Prance far far away, away from me. Go prancing in that field of flowers that I wanted to burn down so badly."

"What, Air Freshener land?" Carson stared at her. "Long story." She edged a little bit closer. "...You're kinda cute, y'know that?"

"Whatever," Carson muttered, looking away.

Happiness leaned forward. A grin spread across her face. "Carson...yer blushing!"

"What? I am not!" he yelled, whipping his head back at Happiness so fast, he might just have gotten whiplash.

Happiness giggled. "Maybe not...but you are now!" She fell on her back, laughing her ass off. Literally, her ass seperated from her body and began to float around in circles.

Carson stared at the rotating rump of Raven the Pink "Yeah...y'know, I'm starting to see why Raven doesn't like you so much."

"C'mon Carson...you know you love me!" Her eyes narrowed seductively. "Especially with the way you were staring at my butt just now." Her floating bum floated over to Carson and shoved itself in his face. Suddenly, it farted loudly. Happiness doubled over with laughter, grabbing her sides and making various fart noises.

Carson shoved the ass away in disgust. "Okay, this is ri-goddamned-diculous. I'm outta here." He got up to leave.

"Stay!" Happiness yelled. A black hand shot out from the ground and grabbed Carson, dragging him back to sit next to Happiness. Carson muttered something under his breath and looked away. Happiness edged closer. "And by the way, I was serious when I said you know you love Raven."

Carson slowly turned his head to stare at Happiness. "Are you out of your pink-encrusted mind? I tried to kill her! Three times!"

"Haven't you heard the saying 'You always hurt the ones you love'?"

"Yeah, but..." Carson paused. "Okay, she's attractive. Cute. A hottie. And she does wear some pretty sheer stuff. Like that tight leotard she wears. She always hides it with her cloak, but she does have a nice body. Slim...toned...nubile...smooth legs...curved hips...firm bre--er..."

Happiness giggled. "Why thank you."

Carson blushed nervously. "Uh, don't tell her I said that whole thing about her body. Even if it is true." He paused. "Did I just say that out loud?" Happiness nodded and slipped her arm through Carson's. "Face it. Yer totally into her," she teased.

"I am not!" Carson retorted.

Happiness rolled her eyes. "Oh puh-leeze. Come on, you had the perfect opportunity to kill her--and the perfect reward!--and you threw didn't!"

"She reminded me of...y'know, Jessica...when I was supposed to..."

"And the hug earlier? What was that about?" Happiness probed.

"I was just...y'know, giving her encouragement."

Happiness just shook her head. "Sure pal. And I'm Bela Lugosi." She spooned some more porridge into her mouth and swallowed. A grin suddenly spread across her face and she stared at Carson. "I know the perfect way to find out."

"Find out what?" Carson asked, playing dumb.

"You know what," Happiness giggled. For the billionth time. She stood up, (her butt had reattatched itself, fyi) leaned over and kissed Carson square on the lips. She stopped after a second and stared at the scene before her. Carson's body had gone totally limp, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular, his tounge hanging out, mumbling nothing in particular. Happiness smiled. "Yeah. S'what I thought." She set the bowl down next to Carson and walked off, humming to herself.

Carson just lay there, lost in his mind. _She kissed me. She kissed ME!_

_Who cares?_

_Obviously, I do._

_But I can't! I don't! She's too...gray...and gothy..._

_Oh yeah...and she's bitter, and has a crappy sense of humor, and doesn't get out enough...except to go to the park...and on windy days, when the wind ruffles her hair, and her cloak blows everywhere...she really does have a nice body..._

_Yeah...she does..._

_And y'know...she's beutiful._

_Gorgeous._

_Oh yeah, gorgeous. She's both._

_She's unrivled._

_She's...Raven._

_...Holy shit._

Carson sat up. "This can't be happening..." he moaned. "She's a Titan. She's a stupid girl who has nothing better to do then waste time helping the weak. At the risk of her own life. Pretty admirable, actually..." he slapped himself. "Get a grip! You hate her!"

_you always hurt the ones you love..._

"Goddammit, I hate my psyche..." Carson sighed. "Why me?" He looked at the bowl of porridge next to him. _I need something to get rid of the taste of porridge in my mouth...even if it is more porridge..._ He grabbed the glop and shoveled it down. Carson paused suddenly. "...Where did she get this, anyway?"

* * *

RR76: That was a weird chapter. Starts off actiony, then angsty, then romantic, then funny. I'm weird. Review please. 


	10. Desperate Measures

RR76: About last week, I was incredibly pissed off at the Raiders' poor play against the Chargers. When my good friend Queen-of-Azarath asked me when I would be updating again, I replied "The next time the Raiders win."

Well shit.

This has been in the work all week. Forgive its' lateness. Please enjoy it. Or I'll eat your brain.

**Code Lyoko Bullshit of the Week: **

Jeremy: Bluhblahluublah! (He's screaming in terror. It sounds like he's retarded.)

Aelita: IliketechnomusicwouldyouwatchmenexttimeIdoit? Jermey: Yes. (Cue credits)

**Ulrich: (in southerner voice) We should go check on Odd. Last I checked, things with him were a little... (makes weird sliding gesture with his hand) electric...**

**And there you go.**

**REVIEW OF THE WEEK **

MasterOfDemons

**2005-10-07**

**ch 8, signedTHIS IS A REVIEW FOR CHAPTER NINE 'CUZ YOUR STORY IS SCREWED UP AND WON'T LET ME REVIEW IT. THIS STORY SUCKS ASS YOU FUCKEN MORON! YOUR OC IS A BASTAR, STUPID, FUCKER WHOSE A LAME VERSION OF YOUR ALREADY LAMER SELF! YOU CALL MY STORY BAD, YOU FUCKER, YOURS IS EVEN WORSE THAN MINE IS! YOU'RE A STUPID MORONIC FUCKER WRITER WHO CAN'T WRITE FOR SHIT! AND WHO'RE YOU TO DEDICATE THE CHAPTER TO QUEENIE? DO YOU EVEN KNOW HER? NO YOU DON'T YOU FUCKER, YOU'RE PROBABLY THE ONE SCREWING UP HER LIFE, I BET YOU'RE THE BASTARD IN CALIFORNIA AND YOUR MOM IS THAT BITCH ON THE INTERNET! IN FACT, I BET YOU'RE THE CREEPY STALKER DUDE WHOSE STALKING HER! YOU DESERVE TO BE STUCK IN THE STUPID MORONIC INSANE ASYLUM WITH THE REST OF YOUR STUPID FRIENDS WHO ARE PROBABLY JUST AS MORONIC ASSHOLES JUST LIKE YOU! GO TO HELL FUCKER, AND TAKE YOUR STUPID BASTARD CARSON WITH YOU!**

**Ah, MasterOfDemons...where to start? For one, tch, nice bio dude. You're either really self-hating, or someone is really good at hacking. Have you even seen it yet? **

And also, MY OC sucks? That Demon's a fucking fruitcake. And you probably could have given him some backstory, or a better name, or SOMETHING to make him more believable.

**"Bastard in California?" Hmm...I DO live in California...unfortunately, I do have a father. Sorry, wrong answer but you do get a year's supply of turtlewax. **

**My "MOM IS THAT BITCH ON THE INTERNET"? What the hell are you talking about?**

**Heh. My friend, I just want to point out our stories mutual stats. Just to see if I can validate all the shit you spoke of my series. **

**Let's see: **

The Final Fantasy of Zelda

**Chapters: 27 - Words: 15441 - Reviews: 52 - **

**And the last six reviews are flames, so, that brings you to a mere 46. I mean, it took 27 chapters for you to rack up 46 actual reviews. We all gotta start somewhere, I suppose. Of course, YOU'RE starting in...how did the guy who hacked your account put it? A circle time in preschool? Heh, classic. I want to meet that guy.**

**Now, let's compare those to my story, Carson.**

**Chapters: 11 - Words: 14324 - Reviews: 59 **

**You have 16 more chapters than me and 1117 more words than me. So naturally, you should have more reviews, right? WRONG! You have four less reviews--and six of those 52 are flames, so technically, 13 less reviews. Sorry, pal. **

**  
But wait! There's more!**

**59 (Carson)**

**49 (Things that go bump in the night)**

**55 (Ascension)**

**Add them up and you get a grand total of 163 reviews. I have a combined 29 chapters in this series. You have two less. You should have just as many, maybe slightly less reviews than I do, but for some odd reason, you don't. So either nobody's interested in your story or you just can't write for shit. Or both, perhaps.**

**Of course, I'm probably wrong. After all, I DO belong in a STUPID MORONIC INSANE ASYLUM, along with my STUPID MORONIC ASSHOLE FRIENDS. Go to hell, you say? Sure. See you there.**

**Comments on MasterOfDemon's review are welcome. And, heh, check out his bio, it's...well, just take a look at it. It's hilarious. Who did that? I mean it, whoever did that is...wow.**

**This chapter is dedicated to the memories of Rosa Parks, Wellington Mara and Bill King. Parks needs no intro. Mara was the owner of the New York Giants since the fifties, and helped shape the NFL into the fine organization it is today. King was, simply put, the king of sports broadcasting from 1966-1992. He joins Lyle Alzado, Bobby Chandler, Dan Birdwell, Wayne Valley and the other great Raiders of yore in football heavan. The Raiders Nation salutes you, Mr. King.**

**And, sadly, TheKidFromTheSouth has left the building, as you may have heard. Hope you come back soon, man.**

**I do not own Teen Titans, or anything from Angel.**

**Enough talk. On with the story.**

* * *

Cyborg collapsed on the couch, speechless at Raven's revelation. Starfire stood there, an expression of sympathy on her face. Beast Boy stood next to her, a hand on her shoulder for support. There was an uncomfortable silence filling the air.

Cyborg broke the silence. "So lemme get this straight: Some demon overlord posessed you, and he's gonna use you to destory the world?" Raven nodded. Cyborg sighed in relief. "Hell, it's nothing we haven't done before."

"That's where you're wrong," Raven corrected. "I had knowladge of the Trigon's plans long before he implemented them. I knew exactly what would happen, and I knew what my enemies were capable of...Slade notwithstanding. This time..." she sighed. "I don't know what's going to happen. The only thing we can do is to wait it out and see what happens."

"I do not accept that," Starfire said firmly. "Surely there is something we do. Perhaps in one of your books--"

"I've gone through the books over and over again, Starfire. I've poured over all my online sources. Nothing."

"Maybe there's something you missed?" Cyborg suggested. "Maybe a book you don't have or something."

"I have the most complete collection of demonology and prophecy on the west coast," Raven said. "I doubt there's something I've missed."

"Um..." Beast Boy raised his hand. "Just wanna throw this out there: Starfire said that her people knew about Trigon. Maybe they know a thing or two about this Pavayne dude. Or maybe Val-Yor could help us. I mean, I know none of him are in a hurry to see that dick again, but--"

"Val-Yor is a grimplorking krelchfit not fit to stimulate the zonsphar of the most hideous and disgusting sklurch. I would sooner die than employ him," Starfire huffed.

The other Titans stared. "Well..." Beast Boy cleared his throat. "There's always the Tamaranians..."

Raven shook her head. "I doubt they would know about him. From what little I have gathered, I know that Pavayne is older than any civilization on this or any other planet, and he's kept a low profile throughout his life." She paused. "The only person who would have known anything about him was...Carson."

"Carson?" Cyborg asked. "Gunslinging swordswinging throw-people-off-the-roof-of-their-own-homes-ing Carson? Ain't he dead?"

Raven was silent for a moment. "...He didn't...take all his secrets to the grave."

"You mean there's some info he left behind?" Beast Boy asked.

"In a manner of speaking." Raven took a deep breath, readying herself for the worst. "Carson is--"

A soft beeping sound met their ears. Raven sighed in relief and pressed a button on the computor. The familiar and rather surprisingly pale face of Robin greeted her.

"Robin!" Starfire shouted, flying over to the screen, joy flowing from every pore. "I am overjoyed to see you again! Have you perhaps found that which you were searching for?"

Robin looked at Raven questioningly, and Raven nodded her consent. "I did."

"Glorious!" Starfire shouted, twirling in the air. "Then you will be rejoyning us soon?"

"As soon as I can," he said warmly. Turning back to the others, Robin continued. "Not long ago, Raven asked me to do her a favor. She wanted me to head over to Gotham City and dig through the estate of our dearly departed friend Carson." A muscle in his face twitched at the mention of his 'deceaced' foil. "I went to his old aprartment and found his journal, which contained a set of coordinents leading right into the heart of the Mojave desert. What I found there..." he swallowed. "I'll fill you in on everything later. I'm sending you something now, it should contain all the info you need."

A small pop-up appeared on the screen. Raven pulled it up and looked over it. She raised an eyebrow. "'Wolfram and Hart, attorneys at law?'"

"Great," Beast Boy scoffed. "We'll sue Pavayne. THAT'LL stop him..."

"You can't be serious," Raven said in disbelief. "You want me to walk up to Evil Inc. and ask them if I can borrow a cup of information?"

"Please," Starfire interrupted. "I have heard disparaging phrases directed at attourneys of this planet before, but never before the word 'Evil.'"

"I've heard of these guys Robin," Cyborg said. "We march in there, they'll tear us apart."

"Hey, for those of us in the audience who don't know what the hell you're talking about?" Beast Boy snapped.

Robin sighed. "It's a law firm dedicated to spreading evil and disharmony. They have offices in almost every major city and connections to every world leader. They effectively control the planet. At one."

Beast Boy's ears drooped. "Oh."

"Naturally, guys like them wouldn't take kindly to us superhero types," Robin said. "Raven, on the other hand, can get in there without any hassel."

"That's the upside of being linked to the third most powerful demon in the universe," Raven said with a small smile.

"Third?" asked Beast Boy.

"He's dead. That kinda makes his stock drop."

"Oh."

"Hey Robin," Cyborg asked. "Just curious, what do a bunch of evil dudes with briefcases and legal mumbo-jumbo have to do with Carson?"

"I..." Robin quivered. "I'll tell you later. Suffice to say, they had a close relationship at one point. Something called Project Darkside."

Beast Boy suddenly got it. "Wolfram and Hart is connected to Carson...Carson is connected to Pavayne...find these guys..."

"Ding," Cyborg said dryly. He checked his chronomitor. "3.21 minutes. Is that a personal best?"

The others chuckled. "As entertaining as this all is..." Raven pressed.

"Oh yeah." Robin cleared his throat and got into Leader Mode. "I should be back by nightfall. In the meantime, Cyborg and Raven, head for San Diego. That's the closest office they have. There was one in L.A. but it mysteriously collapsed in May of last year." He looked at the Titans. "I'm counting on you guys. Don't screw up." The screen shut off.

"Thanks for the words of confidence Robin," Cyborg muttered.

"Hey, it still beats the whole speech about hope," Beast Boy quipped.

* * *

"You ready for this?" Cyborg asked. Raven nodded shakily.

The two stood in the lobby of the San Diego branch of Wolfram and Hart, waiting for their meeting with the head of the office. Naturally, the two were more than nervous.

Cyborg glanced at her. "You okay? I haven't seen you this shaken up since..."

"I'm...just not sure if I can do this," she said. "Evil beings tend to be drawn to me, if you hadn't noticed. I don't think it's wise to walk right into the lion's den."

Cyborg put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get through this Rae. 'Sides," he added, taking in his surroundings, "this place doesn't seem so bad."

Just then, Raven noticed a heavy breathing noise, accompanied by a foul odor. She looked up...right into the face of a large, green-skinned demon, breathing down on her. The demon grinned at her.

"...Hello," Raven said in a get-the-hell-out-of-my-face tone.

The demon pointed at her. "You! Human girl! How much you charge?"

Raven stared at the demon. "Beg pardon?" she asked

"How much you charge?" the demon repeated. "Require satisfaction!"

Raven stared blankly. "You...want to...challenge me to a duel?"

The demon slapped it's large green forehead. "Human girl so stupid! Did not know she had yellow hair!"

Cyborg leaned over to her. "I think he just called you a dumb blonde," he whispered.

Raven sighed. "Look, big guy, if you wouldn't mind getting the hell out of my face--"

"Require satisfaction! How much you charge?" he repeated once more, punctuating his sentance with a pelvic thrust. "Human girl better than no girl at all. Too many lonely nights. How much you charge?"

Raven suddenly got it. She stood slowly. "Get. The hell. Away from me."

"I pay good money," the demon drawled, shoving his face close to hers. "Have nice hole in ground. Comfortable bed." He looked over her body. "Not unnatractive. Wish to know what girl looks like underneath clothing. Want to taste her.Bet she tastes sweet..."

Raven leaned in closer, and her eyes turned jet black. "Know you not who you deal with, wretch?" she growled in a demonic voice. "I am Raven, daughter of Trigon the Terrible, and if you do not ceace your advances, I will tear your intestines out, tie them around your neck and strangle you with them."

The demon grinned wider. "Girl likes it rough, I'll bet."

"Okay man, that's enough," Cyborg said. "I'm tellin' you now, leave her--"

The demon punched Cyborg in the chest, denting his titanium armor and sending him falling backward. He turned back to Raven, and found her small, dainty hand clenched into a fist, buried in his stomach. She gave a tug and tore out his thick, long brown intestines, wrapped them around the demon's neck and slowly began to tighten her grip. After a moment, the demon fell to the ground, his yellow eyes bulging out of his sockets.

Cyborg stood up and stared at Raven's handiwork. "Um...nice job?" he offered.

Raven stared at her hand in disgust. "Didn't know I had it in me," she said catatonically. She made a mental note to yell at Carson for taking over her body without consent, and for the grossness of the killing blow.

The secretary, a woman of about 22 years, walked over to them, sparing a glance at the gruesome body of the demon. "Um, care to explain what happened?"

"He thought I was a hooker," Raven said bluntly.

The secretary shook her head. "V'Raknel demons. They're insatiable. And they have good money." She sighed. "This'll be a bitch to explain..." She looked back at the two Titans. "The, um, director will see you know," she said, and motioned for them to follow her. She led them up a flight of stairs, over to the main office. She stepped inside. "Director Wilson, Mr. Victor Stone and Ms. Raven Roth of Jump City."

The directer turned his chair around to gazed at his new clients. He was middle aged, with graying hair and a goatee. An eye patch was over his left eye. His right eye was ashen gray, and seemed to pierce through their very souls. "Thank you, Delina. That will be all."

Delina turned to leave, then remembered something. "Also, um, they killed Mr. Mo'Vash, I was wondering what I should say to the V'Raknel tribe?"

"Send them a gift basket," Directer Wilson said, waving a hand dismissively. Delina nodded and left the room.

"Please, sit down," he said, motioning to the seats in front of him. The two Titans took his offer and sat. Directer Wilson eyed the two of them carefully, his good eye shifting back and forth between them. Finally, he spoke. "You are Cyborg and Raven of the Teen Titans."

Cyborg cleared his throat. "Um...yeah."

"I have heard of you," Directer Wilson said. "Seen you in combat. Very impressive, both of you." His right eye locked with Raven's. "Though I cannot understand why you, of all people, would do the things you do."

"What can I say?" Raven said. "I sleep easy knowing that I keep people like you behind bars."

Directer Wilson chuckled. "People like me?"

"You're the head of Wolfram and Hart, Mr. Wilson," she said darkly. "There's not much else I need to know about you to know that you're not one to work at soup kitchens on Christmas eve."

Wilson nodded. "I am a family man, Ms. Roth."

She shook her head in disgust. "I pity your spawn..."

Wilson smiled. "As well you should. But enough about me. What I want to know is what are two bright young...gifted children doing in a place like Wolfram and Hart?"

"You have information we need," Cyborg said, again with the bluntyness. "Something called the Darkside project. We know your firm has connections to it."

The directer's calm demeanor disappeared for an instant, as a look of doubt crossed his face. It was only for an instant, however. "You have come to the right place." He stood and walked to a file cabinet. "While the Darkside incident did not occur during my teanure as C.E.O. of this fine firm, I do have firsthand experience with the project." He retrieved a file folder and handed it to Cyborg, who in turn handed it to Raven. "I was, in the prime of my life, known as Colonal S. Wilson, stationed in Area 40 in the Mojave desert. A research facility, to be precise. We were a little-known branch of the military--posing as a group of Air Force test pilots, when in fact, we were part of something much bigger than that." He sat back down. "Our forte was in demon research and defense."

Raven put the file down on the directer's desk. "We're not interested in paperwork, Mr. Wilson. You have first-hand experience, you're going to tell us. Right now."

Directer Wilson leaned back. "Under whose authority?"

This time it was Raven's turn to intimidate. "Listen," she hissed. "I am having an exceptionally bad week, and you're about to make it ten times worse. Now either you tell me what I want to know or your secretary's gonna have two sets of intestines to uncoil around someone's neck."

Wilson's smile faded slightly. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Cyborg put a hand on Raven's shoulder, easing her back into her seat. He stared Wilson in the eye. "What happened in that facility?" he asked.

Wilson turned his chair to look out the window, taking a deep breath. "A week before the Persian Gulf war ended, the Pentagon sent us a top secret document conaining information on something we found in Kuwait. A child. An infant. Originally, they thought it was orphaned by a platoon of Iraqi soldiers on a rampage of pillage and plunder. Then...we saw it was much more. It desroyed an entire squad of Iraqi tanks and a landing strip in as much time as it takes to pull the trigger on an M-16. Obviously, the kid was something special. So..."

"They sent him your way," Raven finished.

Wilson nodded. "The child was accompanied by the man who found him, one Sergent Richard Fargas. He had taken a liking to him and insisted on adopting him. He even went so far as to name the boy." He closed his eye. "He named him Carson."

Another moment of silence. Wilson continued. "Over the next four years, Carson grew, and as his body matured, so too did his incredible power. Though he was young, he managed to control it exceptionally well. And he didn't even act like a test subject. He was allowed to roam free throughout the base. He was...one of us. Everybody adored him, and he was never happier. Then," he said, pausing. "Then the Pentagon took matters into their own hands."

"They were unsatisfied with what they deemed a 'lack of progress' on Sergent Fargas's behalf. They decided to transfer him, promoting him to Colonal and transfering him to another base in Nevada. Carson remained behind." Wilson swallowed hard and continued. "The man they sent to replace Fargas...One Colonal Horus Chryplewicz..." he snickered. "Dredful name. Anyway, the Colonal took over the base and made certain that young Carson was pushed to the edge. Where Fargas saw a young boy, and a world of opportunities in his life, the Army saw a weapon. An obscenely powerful one. And, of course, they had no idea how to wield his enormous power. That," he said. "Was where Wolfram and Hart came in."

"The firm sent in psychics, mediums, and demonology experts to study Carson. They tested his responses, his strenth, speed, reflexes...and then they attempted to read him. See into his future and the like. What they found shocked them beyond belief."

"...What did they find?" Raven pressed.

Wilson looked at her. "They saw the future he was to create. They saw his destiny. And it was one of destruction and doom. Entire nations falling before him. Apocalypse, and so forth. Many words, prominent ones. I remember them well...'Pandemonium'...'Ascension'...

"Ascension..." Raven whispered.

Wilson raised an eyebrow. "This word means something to you?"

Raven shook her head. "Later. Just...keep going."

"Very well," Wilson said. "The psychics left, and Chryplewicz continued with the research. He was determined to unleash Carson's latent powers, no matter the cost. And so, he pushed the boy to his limits. He tortured him, night and day, the boy's screams echoing throughout the base. The men pleaded with him to stop, but he stood firm in his conviction. A stubborn man, to say the least." He smiled an evil smile. "It cost him his life."

The two teens sat, mesmerised, and Wilson continued. "I do not know exactly what happened, only that the boy snapped, finally. He broke through his restraints and went on a rampage. I was in the middle of lunch, in fact, when the alarm went off. We grabbed out weapons and spread out through the base, hoping to put a stop to him. They piled soldiers in the corridors, creating line after line of defense. And Carson broke through all of them. One by one, they were slaughtered. He would come, we would fight, the few of us that survived retreated."

He closed his eye, haunted at the memory. "We made our last stand in the mess hall. We pooled our ammunition, and took whatever weapons we could find. We even resorted to sharpening spoons and forks for melee combat. And then...he came." He smiled. "I assure you, the mess hall lived up to it's name by the end of the day. Grenades, machine guns, shotguns, our makeshift weapons, none of it was enough. Carson killed every last one of them."

"Except for you?" Cyborg asked skeptically.

Wilson looked at him. "Of course not. A few of us saw the futility in out actions. Myself, the Colonal, and four others made a break for it. We made it to the garage, when Carson caught up to us. He killed two of the soldiers...and then...he went for the Colonal. Myself and my last remaining comrades were meaningless, as long as he got his revenge. And trust me, he got it all right."

"What happened to him?" Raven asked.

"...That...I do not know. Perhaps, though, it is for the best. I did not envy Colonal Chryplewicz at the end." He turned his chair back to face the two. "My two remaining comrades wandered until the supply convoy came along. They picked us up and we were taken to Washington, D.C. to be debriefed. We were each given commendations and promotions, and reassigned. As for the base...I assume they destroyed it, or at least sealed it."

Raven sat in shock. So that was why when Robin called the tower...

"Now then," Wilson said, moving on. "I do believe you had a question about the Ascension?"

Raven snapped out of her trance. "If you would be so kind..."

Wilson smiled. "Of course. I do know a thing or two about these. The Ascension is a mystical process. It allows a human being to become a full demon, with the proper rituals, that is. There are rituals to become just about any fully-fledged demon that ever existed. Azorath, Chernabog, Surter, Tiamat...even your father, Ms. Roth."

Raven's breath caught in her throat.

Wilson pressed a button on his desk. "Delina, see to it that the two Titans are provided with all the information available on the Ascension."

"_Will do, Boss," _Delina's voice said with an electronic crackle.

"You may take the folder on the Darkside project, if you wish," Wilson said. "I have no need to keep it. Old painful memories. You understand, of course."

"Um...yeah," Cyborg said numbly. "We'll just...be on our...come on Raven." His companion stood and followed him out of the room.

"Oh, and Raven," Wilson called. "Do give your friend Robin my regards." Raven hurried out of the room, leaving Wilson seemingly alone.

"Interesting girl," a voice said from behind him. Wilson turned to see a young man in a black trench coat walk out from a small alcove in the corner of the room. "I hope she liked the story. Can't wait for you to write your memoirs, old man."

Wilson looked at him. "You're back early. How was Gotham?"

"Same old dank city. Hasn't changed much since I lived there. Found your boy Robin poking his nose in places where it ought not be poked." He stepped up next to his boss. "I never get tired of that story, though."

"Has your sister returned yet?" Wilson asked.

The young man shook his head. "You know her. She likes to take her time. One of her more annoying qualities..." He made for the door, facing Wilson the whole time. "Um, if you'll excuse me, I have to take your secretary home and tear her clothes off. You understand, of course."

Wilson nodded understandingly. "Save some for the honeymoon, Romeo," he scolded slightly.

"Just don't give me the 'Don't have sex the night before you go on a job, it saps your strength' speech," the young man said, walking out the door

* * *

"Carson."

The assassin turned his head to see his blue-cloaked captor standing behind him. "Raven," he said, acknowledging her.

Raven took a seat next to Carson, dangling her legs from the edge of the cliff. Carson spoke first. "So. You heard about what happened in the desert, I take it?"

Raven nodded. "Very...gruesome."

"Some of my best work," Carson said in a melencholy tone.

Raven craned her neck to get a look at Carson's face. "...Why so glum then? If it's your best work--"

"Make no mistake about it, those men got what they had coming to them," Carson said. "The things they did to me...I still got the scars, Raven. Physically and otherwise." He sighed. "I'd have given anything to get back at those bastards, and hell, if I'd had half a chance, I would have killed them and poured every last once of my blind rage into making sure their last moments on Earth were filled with agony."

Raven stared blankly at him. "Well...you kinda did."

Carson scoffed. "Have you listened to a word I've said since I've been here? You've read my mind, you've sensed what I am. And the visions--do I need to remind you of the visions?"

"Please don't," Raven moaned, rubbing her forehead.

"Obviously I do, because you don't seem to get it. There's something inside me, Raven. Something ancient. Something evil. Something that makes Pavayne and Trigon and even the good fellows down at Wolfram and Hart seem like church choir boys. IT killed the soldiers at that installation, not me. They wanted to push me to the breaking point, they did. And they paid with their blood." He sighed. "That beast...that Hellgod...has been the source of my power for all these years. They awakened it that day in the desert, and for the last ten years it has consumed me. It's done me good so far, but even still, I've never truly wanted it." He looked at her. "That's why I signed on with your father."

A look of understanding crossed Raven's face. "He told you he could seperate you from the Hellgod."

Carson nodded. "My life for Terra's. It was an easy deal. And when it came time for Trigon to hold up his end of the bargain, he skipped out. Left me hanging."

Raven stared. "And then...?"

A sad smile played it's way across Carson's face. "And then...that's about when your boy Garfield came along. You know the rest." The two sat in silence for a couple minutes.

It didn't last. "I met your happier side today," Carson mentioned.

"Did you, now?"

"Yep. Left me this." Carson handed Raven an empty bowl with a few traces of white goo sticking to the surface.

Raven looked it with bemusement. "What the hell is this?"

"A bowl, duh."

Raven gave him a look. "I can see that. What was in it?"

"Porridge," Carson said casually. "Got it from said happy side. I spent the better part of today trying to figure out where the hell SHE got it from."

"Well, I got something else for you to mull over," Raven said, pulling a file folder out of her robe.

Carson took the folder. "Naked photos?"

Raven smacked him on the head. "Perv. They're documents. Specifically, documents on the Ascension. Robin and the others couldn't make heads or tales out of them, so I figured you might have a chance--"

Carson snatched the folder from a slightly miffed Raven and poked through it. "Hmm...yeah, I think I can work with this."

Raven perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah. Gimme a couple hours, I'll have what you need by then."

"Great. Thanks." Raven stood up to go. "By the way, thanks for taking care of that demon over at Wolfram and Hart for me." Carson smiled, and Raven began to walk away.

"Oh, and Raven?" Carson called. Raven turned around. "If you see Happiness anywhere, and she says something about me being in love with you, don't believe it, okay?"

Raven nodded, an amused look on her face, and turned to leave. Carson went back to the task at hand. "She doesn't need to know yet..." he told himself.

* * *

RR76: And so the plot further thickens. It's about goddamn time you found out what the Ascension is. I didn't like the ending too much though. And there was no fight scene. Damn. Ah, well. Just to make some things clear:

HORUS CHRYPLEWICZ has his name taken from a little-known tight end for the Detroit Lions by name of Pete Chryplewicz. I wanted to give him the dumbest name I could think of.

DELINA'S name was random.

YOUNG MAN'S identity...will not be revealed yet.

DIRECTER WILSON...If you can't figure him out, I will find you and cut out your throat.

WOLFRAM AND HART is copyright Mutant Enemy, inc. They were the law firm in Angel that was, well, evil. See seasons 1-5 of Angel. Sorry, I was too lazy to think of anything original.

THE ASCENSION is also owned my Mr. Whedon. See season 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I hereby reccomend to anyone who likes westerns and/or sci-fi to buy the boxed set of the show Firefly. My dad got it for his birthday, and I'm nearly done watching the whole thing. That show ROCKS. River's hilarious. How can you not love her? She shot people! And she says the funniest stuff. "The food is problematic." God, I love that...

Anyway, this should shut you fellas up for a while. Till next I update!

-RR76

KEEP WATCHING THE GODDAMNED MEDICINE CABINET, BITCHES!


	11. Revelations

RR76: I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna pretend I'm not phased by what happened. I'm just gonna come right out and say it.

Last Sunday was the most inept performance by Kerry Collins and the Raiders coaching staff since Denver at Oakland last year. Come on, PUNTING on 4 and 1? With time running out? What, did they think the defense would hold? WHAT DUMBASSES! Norv Turner, I have never questioned your coaching decisions--save for keeping Kerry Collins in longer than you should--but WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? You do NOT PUNT ON 4 and 1 WITH TIME RUNNING OUT YOU GODDAMNED POT SMOKING DUMBASS!

LaMont Jordan deserves credit for his 97 yard 2 touchdown performance. Derrick Burgess deserves to go the Pro Bowl with his league-leading 11 sacks. Kerry Collins deserves to be demoted to 4th string behind Tui, Andrew Walter, and, yes, even Shane Lechler. The goddamn PUNTER would make a better quarterback than #5 right now.

Sigh...there. I feel a little bit better now. Who do we play next? ...The Chargers? Ugh...

Anyway...that's what I got to say about that. Moving on.

**Code Lyoko Bullshit of the Week.**

**Yumi: (trying to stop the car she's in) Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Oh shoot. Ah!**

**MasterOfDemons Bullshit of the Week: (The review is in bold, my comments are...not in bold)  
**

**Your stupid story screwed up my stupid computer and I can't review the right chapter.**

Oh no. My...evil...story...it's...out...of...control...must...warn...general...public...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

**Your story fucken sucks, you bastard. Your a fucken moron who needs to get a grammar lesson and a spell check**

Dude. Take a look at the first line of your story. "The sweet chirps of birds as they swept the highlands of Hyrule was pure lovely." Is that even a complete thought?

Or how about this gem?

"The hearts of Demon and Silver slowed as they watched in peril these bug

like creatures capture Lindsay."

**and...what's that?**

**Oh yeah. A NEW PLOT LINE, MORON! A stupid moronic OC **

Dude, think for a moment. My character has A) Back story and B) A more complex personality than yours.

Folks, I want to make an announcement: I will now be taking bets on the number of times MasterOfDemons will use the words "stupid" and "moronic" in one review. Place your bets, people!

**falling in love with Raven? HOW RIDICULOUSLY OVERDONE IS THAT?**

Ummm...most stories like that feature an OC falling in love with Raven as the main plot, and the two usually end up together. This is kinda different, in the sense that Raven and Carson don't end up together. See, the Carson/Raven thing is what we of the writing community call a "subplot." You might have heard of them, if you weren't too busy trying (and failing) to come up with a half-decent plot for your OWN story. It's just the FFX and Zelda plots mashed together into an unrecognizable heap. And it's not even a very GOOD unrecognizable heap. If you're going to butcher two of the greatest games of all time, please, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD try to make it original.

(For the record, guys, I do 'borrow' some stuff from other places. Notably the Ascension, which was created by Joss Wheadon, the mind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Before you harp on me, I've got an original spin on it, which is to be revealed in this chapter. It ain't as cut and dry as it looks. And keep in mind, my good friend MasterOfFruityDragons took two of his OCs from another story, which I'm not gonna go off on for the time being)

**IT SUCKS, YOU FICKEN MORON!**

You're right. I fick. I fick uncontrollably. It's not something I'm proud of. I should really go to a Fickers Anonymous meeting or something.

**Yur a stupid retard.**

Hmm. Not your best argument. But with all the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors I've made so far, compared to your flawless writing style, who am I to argue?

And for the record, YOU still haven't noticed your hilariously insulting bio. So YOU'RE the one who's looking more retarded here.

**At least my story has an INTERESTING character while yours is all crap.**

To reiterate: My character has a back story and a complex personality. Yours has the personality of a pregnant woman with hemherroids. As far as backstory goes, I think Carson takes the cake.

**Go the hell fucker, and stop stalking Queenie, moron.**

Yeah. Sure. I'm gonna use the $400 that I don't have to buy a plane ticket to the town Queenie lives in, wherever it is, and hunt her down and rape her. I'm a bad bad man. Woo, someone stop me, I'm evil! After all, I am a FICKIN MORON.

Why don't you ask her which of us she likes more, the one who listens to everything she has to say, or the one who lied to her, broke her heart, and MADE HER FUCKING CRY? Yeah. She told me about that.

Look. MasterOfDemons. As much as I love dissecting your reviews and making fun of your ineptitude as both a writer and as a human being, I'm telling you now: It's getting old. You don't like me? I don't give a rat's ass.

So buck up or suck on it, I'm not going anywhere.

Now that that's out of the way, on with the story.

_

* * *

"Go on. Open it."_

_Carson looked at his girlfriend, puzzled. "What is it?"_

_Jessica rolled her eyes and smacked Carson on the head softly. "Dummy. It's a surprise. You DO know the meaning of the word, right?"_

_Carson shook his head and slowly unwrapped the small rectangular box in his hands. He lifted the lid and gazed at the object inside in awe. Jessica smiled. "Well, what do you think?"_

_"Jess...this..." Carson removed from the box a small, six shot revolver, its chrome polish gleaming in the pale light. "This is a thing of beauty."_

_Jessica laughed. "Now what do we say?"_

_Carson smiled warmly at her and kissed her softly on the lips. "Thank you Jessica."_

_The young woman stroked his cheek softly. "Happy birthday Carson. I love you." A grin spread across her face suddenly. "Now don't you want to unwrap your other present?" she said, leaning forward seductively._

_Carson's smile grew and kissed Jessica again, pulling her down on top of him as his hands went up her shirt, feeling for her--_

_"Jess? Carson? I'm back!" _

_The two stopped abruptly. Jessica climbed off of Carson and smoothed out her shirt. "Remind me to murder your brother later," Carson muttered._

_"Guys? I got us a job!" _

_Carson sighed. "I swear, if it's another Nazi hunt--"_

"Find anything?"

Carson bolted upright, panting. "Raven!" He sighed. "God...don't do that!"

"Do what?" Raven asked.

"...Never mind. What do you want?" Carson asked.

"The file. Did you find anything?" Raven repeated.

"Oh...um..." he picked up the file folder that lay next to him, wiped off the drool from his sleep, and opened it up. "Everything in here is written in ancient Aramaic."

"That's very interesting. Can you read it?"

"Parts of it. I'm not too familiar with the dialect, but if I'm correct...it says something about a 'transformation'." He paused. "Yes, that's definitely 'transform.' And that last sentence..."

"...You hadn't even looked at it until I came by, have you?" Raven asked.

Carson ignored her. Raven sighed and sat next to him. "Fine. What do you have?"

"Quiet," he snapped. "Let me concentrate..." He studied the file closer. "...Hmm...'Twenty moons hence the fall of Scath, there shall arise the servant of the Beast.'"

"That would be Pavayne?" Raven asked.

"I--ahem, the Hellgod--only had one servant. And the French army doesn't count. Couldn't even conquer Russia, good for nothing--"

"Carson..."

"Right. Anyway...'He shall be bidden to find the Gem; the Gem shall become as the Father, and her destiny shall be complete.'"

"Just how many 'shalls' are in that prophecy?" Raven asked, peeking over Carson's shoulder.

"Seers had very limited vocabularies back in the day, didn't they?" Carson muttered. "Now sit down, there's more...'A hundred days past from the Servant's rebirth, the Gem will Ascend to her father's throne, and his empire shall be hers."

* * *

"Is that it?" Cyborg asked. 

"For the most part, there's still one last line I have to translate," Raven responded.

"Soooo...what does it all mean?" asked Beast Boy.

"It's pretty straightforward: I'm going to destroy the world. Again."

There was a pause. Robin spoke up. "Then we'll stop it. Again."

A gasp came from the kitchen. All eyes turned to Starfire, sitting at the table, her face pale. She lowered the paper she was studying with shaking hands and looked at Raven with a look of fear. "It is not as simple as that..." she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Star...what are you talking about?" Robin asked.

"I..." Starfire stood and walked into the living room, sitting on the couch next to Robin, her eyes never once leaving Raven. "I have discovered what purpose the Ascension serves. It..." After a moment's hesitation, she continued. "It is a process by which a human becomes a full-blooded demon. A human, after performing the correct rituals will undergo a transformation...and one hundred days later, he or she becomes a demon."

Something in Raven's mind clicked. Something Pavayne had said..._This begins the hundred days..._

"And that's what's going to happen to Raven?" asked Beast Boy, his eyes drifting over to his friend. Starfire nodded, tears brimming at her eyes.

"Do we know what she's going to become?" asked Cyborg.

_The Gem will ascend to her father's throne..._

"Trigon," Raven said quietly. The others looked at her. "I'm...going to become Trigon."

_And his empire shall be hers._

* * *

From his vantage point in Raven's mind, Carson had been listening to the entire conversation, his hands balling into fists as Raven's destiny was finally revealed. Pavayne's plan was clear to him now. 

"So, they've finally figured out my little scheme, have they?" called the familiar raspy sound of Pavayne's voice. Carson turned and cocked his shotgun as the demon summoner came into view. "Took them long enough. I was kinda hoping they wouldn't, though. The looks on their faces when they finally realized what was going to happen...ha, priceless. That was a Kodak moment, I tell you--"

BOOM. Carson's shotgun fired, sending hot death flying at Pavayne...and flying right through him. Pavayne smiled. "I'm not corporeal anymore, kiddo."

"That's a shame," Carson said dryly. "I had so many things that I was planning on doing to you if you ever showed your ugly-ass face around me again. There may have been knives involved."

"Sorry to disappoint," Pavayne said. "That was kind of a one time only deal. I'll have to conserve my energy for when Raven goes postal."

"You're a fool," Carson spat. "Do you honestly believe you can pull this off?"

Pavayne's smile grew. "Pull what off?"

"Don't be coy with me, Cassius," growled Carson. "I've got your plan all figured out. You do your job, get Raven in the right place, perform the rituals, make sure Raven's ready for her big day, and then you return to Hell to get whatever crappy reward they promised you."

"Is that right?" Pavayne said, raising an eyebrow.

"That was your job. Except that's not exactly what you did." He crossed the distance before the two and looked Pavayne in the eye. "You did the job, got Raven in the position to destroy the world, and then you possessed her, and in a hundred days, you'd have all the power you needed to finally, _finally, _accomplish what it was you've wanted all your life."

"And what's that?" asked Pavayne skeptically.

"True freedom." Pavayne began to laugh, and Carson cut him off. "You know it's true. All your life, you wanted to be recognized as your own person. You wanted to be known not as the sidekick to the most powerful evil in existence, but as a force to be reckoned with in your own right. Came close to accomplishing that a few years back as the headmaster of HIVE Academy, but if I recall, someone screwed that up for you."

Pavayne gave a short laugh. "Is that what you think?"

"It's what I know," Carson replied. "You may have his body, Cassius, but I have his mind. All the knowledge, all the experience, of the Hellgod," he tapped his head three times for emphasis, "right up here. And the Hellgod knew you better than anybody on the planet. Oh yes," he continued, "he knew of your plots, your vain little fantasies of freedom. And he didn't care. He didn't view you as a true threat to him."

"His arrogance cost him his life," Pavayne snapped.

"And your arrogance is going to cost you yours." Carson absentmindedly flicked the safety on his shotgun on and off as he continued. "You think that this whole deal, the Ascension, is going to make you the ultimate being in the universe. You actually have the balls to believe that you are going to rule the world. News flash, old friend: You're not going to be the overlord of your own little colony of mold. Because as bad as you think you are, there's one thing that's worse."

"And what would that be?"

"Me. It's not going to be the hyped-up 'Teen Titans' that bring you down. It's not going to be Satan, or the U.S. government--which is secretly controlled by Satan, so that's kind of a no-show anyway--or anyone else but me. Just watch," he said. "Your kingdom is going to come crashing down, and it's going to be me doing the demolition."

Pavayne laughed. "You also inherited the Hellgod's arrogance," he said, barely able to get the words out between laughs.

"That's not arrogance, Cassius. That's fact."

"Show me then," Pavayne said, his mood suddenly reverting from happy to solemn. "In a hundred days time, you and I will have our final battle." The image of him began to fade away. "And then, Carson," he added before fading completely from sight, "I will show you just who's the baddest of the bad." The image of him faded completely, and he was gone.

Carson smiled mockingly. "'Till then," he said quietly.

* * *

RR76: Before I had finished this chapter, I got _yet another _flame from MasterOfFruityDragons. Doesn't he have anything better to do...? 

Anyway, I won't bother dissecting it and making a fool of him yet again. I deleted it. You can do that, you know.

For im in a kill people mood, if you're reading this...he said Angel was a waste of television. You know. Angel. Joss's show. He insulted something of Joss. I think that warrents a Reaver attack, don't you?

So yeah. I'll be seein' ya.

* * *

The soup of the day is Cream of Mushroom. 


	12. In These Dark Times

RR76: Step 1: Gripe about the Giants/Raiders game.

...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGG! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? WHO RUNS IT FOUR STRAIGHT TIMES UP THE MIDDLE? NOTHING WAS HAPPENING!

Give me a play-fake, or a sweep, or something, I don't care! 14-Blast does NOT work on the goal line unless LaMont Jordan is carrying! God, you've got a fucking monkey calling the plays...

If Al Davis has any sense left, he'll re-hire Art Shell. Hell, he sorted out the mess that Mike Shannahan made--I'm sure he could pull another miracle out of his ass.

Start by getting rid of Collins, and drafting Vince Young. Or Leinart. Whoever's available. But preferably Young. Then re-hire whoever coached the O-line in '04. Ditch Derrick Gibson, re-sign Woodson, get another pass-rusher to compliment Burgess, and you're about a quarter of the way there.

Step 2: Idle banter.

What the hell is up with Kevin Michael Richardson? He's in everything! He plays virtually every black guy ever to be in cartoons! Geez, guys, give the man a break! Get some fresh blood! I mean, Kev's great, and he was awesome as Trigon, but sheioushlay! Don't just get the same dude to play every black guy on TV, you bigoted assholes!

Step 3: Explanation.

Anyone who read that note I put on my bio, it was all a farce. That was written by...CRAB PEOPLE!

Yes, that's right...crab people.

Step 4: Random quote.

"...I don't care if the man hid a jet engine in his anus. He's the best there's ever been. Leave it alone."-Jon Stewart, on the allegations that Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancers to win the Tour De France. That actually sounds like it'd be uncomfortable. Warm, maybe. Painful, probably. Hard to explain, definitely.

Step 5: Dedication

This chapter is dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Thanks to him, not only are racist bigoted white people in the minority, but I get a day off from school. Thanks Dr. King.

Step 6: Gripe about series finale.

Wow. What a boring, predictable, mediocre way to end the series. I swear, that episode had more holes than a brick of Swiss cheese. What was the monster? How the hell did Terra get unfrozenized? Sigh...some people...I suppose this is as good a time as any:

**Season 5 did NOT take place in the Carson series. **

There. Just so we're all aware of that.

Step 7: MasterOfDemon's latest flame

Unfortunately, I haven't the time or the patience to list all of his dumbassities in his last few flames--none of which exist any longer.

Step 8: Disclaimer.

The following are mine:

Carson Elam

Cassius Pavayne

Jessica/Warren Sable

Five Golden Rings

Four machetes (macheti?)

Three French hens

Two turtledoves

And a partridge in a pear tree.

I forgot what four was...eep, sorry.

If I didn't mention it, it isn't mine.

* * *

Silence had fallen upon the Titan's living room. An apocalypse they had expected, sure, but this... 

"You're wrong," Beast Boy snapped. "You have to be, you must have missed something, or translated something wrong--"

"I wish that were so," Starfire sighed. "But these papers that Raven and Cyborg acquired from the evil law men of your world are quite clear. In 98 days, Raven will become the manifestation of her father and destroy the world."

"You're wrong," he repeated.

"But the translation--"

"The hell with the translation!" Beast Boy shouted. "You read it wrong! She can't...this is Raven we're talking about."

"She's right," Raven said quietly. The other Titans stared at her. "Starfire's right. I will become Trigon. And nothing we can do will change that." Her eyes traveled across the room, lingering on each of her friends. "You...all of you...have given me a debt that I can never repay. And though I don't wish to burden you with this...there is one last request I wish to make of you." She took a deep breath to steady herself, and spoke with a renewed conviction. "When the time comes...when the Ascension begins...you must promise that you will end me before the transformation is complete."

"You can't possibly be serious," Cyborg said. "We can find another way around it."

"There isn't. Understand that if I become Trigon, then this world will suffer the same fate it did when he was set free, only this time, I won't be there to protect you, and there will be none who could stop me." She sat down on the arm of the couch. "I know it's difficult, but--"

A short, raspy laugh interrupted Raven's speech. The other Titans looked at Beast Boy, sitting with an uncharacteristically dark expression on his face. "Difficult," he echoed. "That's a hell of a thing to say." He looked at Raven, fire in his eyes. "You're asking us--you're asking _me--_to kill you. A Titan. Our friend." Unspoken, unexpressed, his true feelings echoed louder than his words. "That's something that I can't do."

"Beast Boy--"

"I won't do it. End of discussion."

"You have to."

"We are NOT talking about this!" Beast Boy snapped.

"Godammit, YES WE ARE!" Raven roared. "You would sacrifice the world for, what, the shell of a demon? Something so twisted, so disgustingly evil, not even bearing the slightest resemblence to me? If this goes down, I won't exist anymore, Beast Boy. I cannot and _will not _let you sacrifice the world--the _universe--_for me."

Beast Boy started to retort, but Robin cut him off. "We understand where you're coming from Raven, it's just...difficult. You're our friend."

"Friend? Yeah, I got that. Trigon ISN'T your friend," Raven snapped. "And when I transform, that won't be Raven you're dealing with. That'll be Trigon."

Starfire stood. "Raven--"

"I can't," she interrupted, turning away. "I can't deal with this now. I won't." She marched up the stairs and through the hallway, doors shutting softly behind her. Beast Boy stood to go after her, but Cyborg held him back. "Let her go, man," he told the changeling. "Give her some time to herself."

"...She's right, you know," Robin stated. "If and when she transforms, we're going to have to kill her before she kills us."

"There has to be another way," Beast Boy said softly.

* * *

The door to Raven's room slammed shut, sealed through it's resident's magic. Raven's emotions were haywire, an erratic mess. She tore her room apart, flinging things from shelves with her powers, mirrors shattering. 

_Why can't they understand? _She thought. _They think they can save me..._

_Perhaps they can_ another voice said. _They have done the impossible before. They saved you from fate once, not too long ago._

_That was different, _her consciousness said. _I was there to protect them then._

_You give them too little credit,_her subconsciousness replied. _There is more to them than you see._

_I've been living with them for four years--there isn't much that I've missed._

_You claim to know them, yet even now you cannot see. Those five--mere children--are among the most powerful, most resourceful, most courageous people on the planet--nay, the universe. They will never, never stop fighting, never stop hoping. They believe that you can be saved._

_...Five?_

_You have more friends than you know._

_He can't...he isn't. He tried to kill me._

_People change. You changed._

_...How can he help me?_

_You will see soon enough..._

Raven's eyes opened. Damn schizophrenia. She shook her head and cleared her mind, searching for a solution.

**Silly girl, **another voice taunted--this one sharper, rougher than the other. **The answer is right in front of you. Poor, stupid Raven...can't do it herself, so she asks for help. That's the way it's always been...**

Raven's head began to pound. She seriously needed to do something about all the voices--and suddenly it was revealed to her. She slapped her forehead. Idiot! Why didn't she think of it sooner?

"Cowardice," she said aloud. "Too afraid. I couldn't do it before...I can't do it now."

**It's the only way to save them...**

"...Yes," she whispered. "The only way..."

She made her way to her dresser, pulled out the top drawer, and rooted through it for a few seconds before her hand touched something metal and cool. She removed from the drawer an eight-inch dagger, taken from the corpse of a cultist that made the mistake of attacking her.

"If you want something done right," she whispered, closing her eyes, "do it yourself." Whispering a quick prayer for her friends, tears sliding down her cheeks, she raised the blade above her heart.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" a voice called out to her.

Raven turned to see the red and black sky of her subconsciousness. Down the path from her was Carson, walking toward her. She looked down at her right hand--she was still gripping the dagger.

She brought it back to her heart. "Don't try to stop me Carson," she warned. "It's the only way."

"Idiot; are you forgetting something? If you die, then I cease to exist," Carson reminded her.

"I know that," she said quietly. "I also know that if I don't do this, I'll end the lives of every living thing in the world, and I've fought too long and too hard to let that happen." Her voice caught as she started to say the rest, but she stood firm. "The only way for the world to continue is through my death."

Carson stopped a few feet away from Raven. "Are you so sure? Have you given up so completely that you resort to suicide?"

"There is no other way!" she growled.

"You don't know that."

"I do!" Her eyes glowed dangerously. "Carson, the prophecy...I will inherit his empire...I will become..."

"I know," Carson said gently. He stepped closer to her. "I also know that, not too long ago, there was another prophecy involving you and an apocalypse that got thwarted."

Raven looked away. "That was different. I was able to use my powers to save them..." She raised the knife again, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry Carson. I really am. But I have to do this. For them."

Carson closed the remaining distance between the two of them and took Raven's free hand in his own. "There is another way, Raven. One that doesn't involve a knife in your perfectly rounded--chest."

Slowly, Raven's eyes opened, her mind filtering out the chest comment. "What?" she whispered.

"You heard me. There may be a way to reverse the Ascension, and keep us both alive. But you have to trust me." He gently squeezed Raven's hand. "Hand me the knife."

The knife lowered, and Raven's gaze was fixed on the steel blade for what seemed like ages. Finally, almost hesitantly, she handed the knife to Carson. He smiled. "One way or another, you were gonna hand me that weapon."

"...Why are you being so nice?" Raven asked quietly. "I thought you hated the Titans."

Carson laughed quietly. Letting go of Raven's hand, he sat down at the edge of the rock platform and gazed into the oblivion before him. "Do you know, in all my years of fighting, in all the time I have been in the assassin business, there has been one person--one girl--in that whole stretch of time who has defeated me so completely?"

"Who? Terra?"

A muscle in Carson's face twitched. "Fine...two people."

"What about the Army? You were a pretty pathetic little creature when you were with them."

He glared at Raven. "I was four."

"And what about--"

"Okay, I get it!" He sighed. "Look...what I meant was that in all my years, there has been one person in all the world who has completely overwhelmed me. When I fought Terra, I was in the game the whole time; it was because of a miscalculation on my part that she was able to beat me. Against the Titans, I was out of ammo and on an unarmed helicopter with a dumbass robot flying. The army did an okay job containing me, but I eventually got free and murdered them all, and against the HIVE, I kicked more ass than there is attached to J-Lo's tailbone. But there was one person, one girl, who I could never, ever beat, who's spirit I never shattered, no matter what I did." He locked his gaze with Raven's. "That girl was you."

"I don't begrudge you for taking me down that time, Raven. I admire it." He smiled. "I admire you."

Raven felt her face get hot as Carson went on. "I believe that, in these times, you will need all the friends you can get. And I would be honored if I was accepted as one of them."

A small smile spread across Raven's face. "You are." She pecked him on the cheek, and then it was Carson's turn to blush.

"But not as a Titan, 'cuz, y'know, I hate them and all that they stand for--mostly Robin, though. You've heard this before."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Of course," she muttered. The metaphorical lightbulb went off in her head. "Now, I believe you had something to tell me?"

A blank look crossed Carson's face. "What? Oh, yeah, right. Saving you. I was going over the files that you got from W&H, and I found some very interesting--"

* * *

The sound of someone knocking on her door pulled Raven out of her trance. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and silently cursed whoever it was at the door for interrupting her. "Raven? You there? It's me...can I come in?" Raven sighed. _Beast Boy. _

She reached out with her powers and opened the door, letting Beast Boy walk into her room. "Come to patronize me some more?" she asked shortly.

"Never mind that. Look, we've been doing some more research, and--" Beast Boy paused. "What's with the hardware?" he asked, pointing at Raven's right hand.

She looked down. Her hand was still clutching the knife. "Um, I was just...rearranging my...knife collection," she said lamely.

Beast Boy folded his arms and gave her the most skeptical look he could muster. "Knife collection," he echoed. Raven nodded.

After a moment of suspense, Beast Boy shrugged and continued. "We were doing some more research on the Ascension. Turns out there was one a few years back in a town about 200 miles out of LA."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Raven asked sarcastically.

"No, but I'll bet this will: They were able to stop it. Something involving lots and lots of dynamite and a high school librarian." He grinned, waiting for Raven's approval.

"Well, unless you've got a librarian on hand, I think we're screwed," Raven said, her air of sarcasm staying in her voice.

Beast Boy's face fell. "I knew that wouldn't work," he moaned.

Raven set the knife aside on her dresser and sat on her bed, sighing. "How long has this whole ordeal been going for?"

Beast Boy thought. "3 days, tomorrow."

"3 days...seems like centuries." She sighed, looking down at her feet. "Beast Boy--"

"You don't need to apologize," Beast Boy said gently, sitting next to her.

Raven looked at him. "I wasn't gonna."

"Oh." He blushed. "Forget that then."

"What I was going to say is that..." she sighed again and stared at the wall "I've been hiding from my fate for so long...I guess..." she shook her head. "I don't know, I guess it's finally starting to catch up with me. Maybe I really am destined for nothing but death."

"That can't be true," Beast Boy said softly. She looked back at him. "I've known you for, what, four years now? I've seen you at your best, and at your worst--February 13-19, 2004 is a 'period' of time I'm not forgetting for a good long time." Raven blushed. "But seriously...I've seen you for what you really are, Raven."

"And what am I?" she asked.

Beast Boy put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. "You are a beautiful, self-righteous, heroic young woman. And there is nobody else that I am more proud to call my friend than you." He smiled at her. "You're my hero, Raven."

A smile crossed her own face, drawing similarities to another, very similar, pep talk she had received not five minutes ago. "I'm shocked that you know what 'self-righteous' means."

"I don't," he said. "Cyborg's got a built-in thesaurus. I was looking for synonyms for 'tubular.'"

Raven's newfound respect vanished. "I'm assuming that before that you needed a dictionary to find out what a synonym was?"

Beast Boy looked at her in awe. "Whoa, you really CAN read minds! I thought you were just really full of yourself when you said--"

"Losing points here, Beast Boy..." she said, secretly amused at his humor, displeased at the 'full of yourself' comment, and making a mental note to tell Cyborg that his thesaurus was broken.

"Heh, yeah. Sorry." He looked back at Raven, who was still smiling her sad smile. "How much time did you say I had?" she asked.

Beast Boy thought again. "100 minus three, borrow ten, take-away--97 days."

Raven smiled at her sweet, yet clueless, crush. "That's all the time I need."

* * *

Below them, unbeknowst to the heroes of Titan's tower, within a great hall forgotten by all things mortal, a thing, scarred, burnt, and beaten, staggered down rows of random crap, to kneel at a great throne. "My life," he panted, "for yours." 

The figure sitting at the throne leaned forward, inspecting the pathetic shell of a creature before him. "You are all that could be mustered?" he asked, unimpressed.

The creature, not daring to look up at his ruler, continued. "I was the only one who had not yet succumbed to the--"

"Yes, yes, I know. I did ask for the strongest that the Pits had to serve me. I was hoping for something along the lines of a Hitler or a Nero...I would have settled for an Uday Hussein, though. But," he added, looking his servant over, "I suppose you have some yet untapped potential within you." He extended a thin, red hand, and the creature kissed it bitterly.

"Rise, Krull Kullen, fallen servant of Scath the Misguided," he ordered. "Serve me well, and be rewarded. Fail me, and your fate will be the same as your deceaced master."

The demon, Krull Kullen, stood, facing his master. "I am thy humble servant," he intoned. "I shall serve thee faithfully, and without question, oh king of the fallen angels."

"And spare me the 'faithful servant' bullshit. A simple 'yes master,' or 'As you command,' will do nicely."

Krull Kullen was taken slightly aback by his master's attitude. "Y-yes...master."

The master, the great king of that dark empire, smiled. "That's better."

* * *

RR76: I almost put a sex scene in here, right at the end. Not between Yet-To-Be-Revealed-But-Painfully-Obvious-Villian and Krull Kullen, but between Beast Boy and Raven. Sherioushlay, I came ----- ------ thiiiiiiiiiis close. Hey, I just realized that you can make a Cartman face with the arrow thingies on your keyboard! 

But yeah. I seriously did almost put in a sex scene. Nothing explicit, just...an implied thingy. I didn't because, for one, it'd make certain people (cough, Rory, cough) go "..." For another, writers block has been beating me to death for hours now. For another, by brother is gonna be back soon, and I promised I'd have this up by Tuesday. And finally, I do doubt my ability do come up with a half decent lime.

So yeah, here's my update. I am sincerely apologetic that there isn't a fight scene, but...I hope this is enough for you. Be happy that there isn't a flashback. 'Til next time.

-RR76

PS: Chapter 11, 'Revelations' is not to be confused with the Book of Revelations in the Bible, or the hentai comic, Ravenlations. Don't ask--suffice to say, it was a mistake to turn off the filter when image-searching for Teen Titans.

The soup of the day is Chicken Noodle.


	13. Eleventh Hour

RR76: The chapter cometh. The story finaly reaches it's crux. Three chapters of climactic battle-y action. Take it, bitch.

Anyway.

Once this story is over, I will take a break from the Carson series for a little while. Not too long. Rest assured, you will see the fourth story, Resurgance, by summer.

I also have another new story up--The Big Book of Teen Titans Fanfic Cliches. Read that, kindly.

Also, once Ascension is over, but before the series goes on hiatus, I will be starting a new feature in my bio--The Encyclopedia of Carson. I know that a few of you have some questions. Hopefully, that will answer most of them.

**I hereby dedicate this chapter to...ummmm...Chef. Yeah. Chef. He was awesome. And then that fruity little club killed him. YOU BASTARDS!**

**MOD's latest flame:**

Shockingly, I DID recieve one from him a while back. It said simply "You suck, fucker."  


**Hmm.  
**

**You know, that may actually be the single most comprehensable thing he's ever written. Nicely done. Screw it, I also dedicate this chapter to MasterOfDemons for flaming me with something other than YUR STORY SICKS STOP STALKING QUEENIE MY CHARECTER IS BETER THEN YUR CHARECTER FICKER GO 2 HELL.**

**Tee hee.**

**...did I just say that? **

**Uh, read. Please. **

* * *

The days quickly became weeks, the weeks dragged on into months, and the Teen Titans began their final, last-minute preperations for the Ascension. For 97 days, they had poured over dozens of ancient tomes, occult websites, and any other material they could get their hands on. All of it for naught. 100 days removed from Cassius Pavayne's posession of Raven, and they still had next to nothing--with a few exceptions. A few battle plans, strategies, though they mostly had no idea what to expect. 

Raven had taken each of the Titans aside and told them, in explicit detail, what they were to do in case they were unable to stop the Ascension. Each one had accepted--albeit grudgingly--that killing their friend may be the only way to save the world. And each one was prepared to do their duty.

Robin had spent much of his time locked away in his room, or the training room, trying to get faster, stronger, hoping against hope that it wouldn't come to ending the life of one of his closest friends. He refused to speak to anyone--even Starfire, who, on more than one occasion, came to the Boy Wonder's door with a plate of food, or words of encouragement, and on each of these occasions, she was turned away. After two months of begging and crying, Robin finally emerged from his shell, though he was much quieter than usual and wouldn't look Raven in the eye. The only one he spoke to regularly after that was Starfire.

Cyborg was very much the same person--he tried to bond with Raven further, knowing that whatever he saw come Ascension day wouldn't be Raven. And so he wanted to preserve her in his memory as he knew her. Their outings would be as simple as going to the drive-thru in the T-Car, or a chess game, or the occasional round of Stankball--when she was up to it. Nothing huge, just small, simple gestures of friendship. But it was enough for them both.

Starfire was, next to Robin, the most visibly affected Titan among them. She was constantly trying to spend time with Raven; every waking minute of her time was devoted to being around her, presenting her with food and beverages (most of them Tamaranian) and frequent trips to the "mall of shopping." It got to the point where Raven basically told her to piss off--but thanked Starfire for the companionship, nonetheless. She turned to Robin for support, and the two clung to each other in the darkest of times.

Beast Boy was...different, to say the least. He seemed to mature quite a bit emotionally over those next few months. His jokes became less spontanious and more meaningful--or as meaningful as a joke could be. He complained less and spent more time honing his fighting skills, though not to the point of obsession, as Robin had. Almost all of his free time was spent with Raven, offering what support he could, giving her someone to lean on, and a shoulder to cry on, if neccesary. The two bonded quite a bit, even going on small dates, which had a tendancy to end in embarrassment for at least one of them--the most famous incident involving a goth coffee house and a glass of water (Here's lookin' at you, H), and often the local tabloids would hound them wherever they went--and if there's one thing an emotionally distraught teenager doesn't need, it's constant, 24-hour hounding. But she understood why he did what he was doing, and returned his affections the best she could, without explicitly stating them.

Raven knew the Titans were trying to help, and she was extremely grateful to all of them, especially Cyborg and Beast Boy. But often, she required solace, or the ear of a more kindred spirit, and she continued to turn to her nemesis-turned-ally, Carson. The defunct assassin could understand her inner turmoil better than anyone, and the friendship between the two grew from a shaky cameraderie to a deep understanding between them both--though Carson's feelings on the other Titans had virtually no change.

For 100 days, the Titans had strived. They had taken the brunt of Pavayne's small tests of will, killing the demons he had gathered in preperation for the Ascension. The bones of the dread dragon, Malchior, still lay scattered across the streets of Jump City. Every strike, every feint, everything he had thrown at them, they had absorbed.

And, at long last, the last second of the final day before the Ascension ticked down. As the sun rose over Jump City, the Titans, Carson, and Cassius Pavayne steeled themselves for what was to come--the battles to be fought, the victories to be had, and the trials that had yet to come.

* * *

6:35 AM

* * *

"Have you found anything new?" 

Cyborg turned to face his leader. His right eye--his human eye--had a dark circle under it, and the human half of his face was covered in stubble, the result of staying up all night. But he was wide-awake. "I've double-checked everything," he said. "I've gone over every last bit of info I could track down, and I've got nothin' we don't already know."

Robin sighed. "Let me guess--'servent of ultimate evil,' right?"

"'Unyielding torment awaits the righteous,' yeah."

Beast Boy yawned and sat up on the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "'Unyielding torment?' That's a new one."

Robin turned, slowly, and fixed his eyes on the shape-shifter. "Did you fall asleep?" he asked with barely-contained anger. Much to his chagrin, Beast Boy shrugged, and Robin began to rise from his seat, face set in a dark grimace. He began to walk towards Beast Boy...

"Friends," Starfire said softly, stepping between the two. "No more of the infighting. Please try to focus. Time grows short--the sun has already risen."

The boys looked up from where they were, and stared out the window. The sky was a mural of red and violet as dawn stretched out from the edge of the bay, bathing the room in beautiful, yet surreal, light. Cyborg scratched his chin. "Now, how do y'all suppose we missed _that_ happening?"

Robin shook his head, running a hand through his hair, flat on his head from lack of hair cement. "Star's right...I'm sorry for snapping Beast Boy."

"I should be the one apologizing, falling asleep like that..." Beast Boy admitted, hanging his head in shame.

"We are all tired, Beast Boy," Starfire consoled him. "Do not feel bad for your low blood-caffine level."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "Um...thanks, I think."

"One way or another," Robin interrupted, "we're running out of time. Our basic plan of battle involves impaling one of our friends, and I won't settle for that. We've been through this before, and we will overcome it again. Go over everything again. Once, twice, a hundred times, until you find something--anything--that could be helpful."

* * *

"Carson?"

* * *

Carson Elam turned, meeting the gaze of the girl he had come to love. "Raven," he said. "I suppose it's getting to be that time, eh?" 

Raven looked away. "It...looks that way to me."

Carson sighed to himself and stepped up next to Raven. "Anything new I should know about?"

"We're still on square one," Raven said. "From what I hear, nobody has found anything on anything. This is kind of an obscure thing to be researching."

"The basic plan of battle's the same though, right?" he asked. "Nobody knows about Plan 9?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Nope, Plan 9 remains a secret. Tell me again why I went along with that idiodic name?"

"Plan B--horribly cliched," Carson said with a mock gag. "Besides, if Pavayne overheard us talking about it and thinks we're attacking with string-powered flying saucers and Vampira, we may have the element of surprise."

The barest hint of a smile crossed Raven's lips. Taking this as encouragement, Carson pressed the joke. "Of course, if we actually _did_ have the neckfat of Tor Johnson on our side--"

"That's enough. Just--please, I don't want to be smiling right now. Not today." Raven stepped away from him, sniffled, and continued talking. "Plan B...9...whatever you want to call it, is still in effect." She turned to meet his gaze. "I'm trusting you to pull it off Carson."

Carson smiled reassuringly. "Count on it," he said.

For whatever reason, Raven's gaze lingered on him for a minute. A small, albeit genuine smile, despite her earlier protests over such things, grew on her face. "Thank you Carson," she said. "For everything."

He grinned. "What, for trying to kill you all those times? Don't mention it."

Her smile remained. "You know what I mean. For what it's worth, I genuinely appreciate it."

* * *

8:12 AM 

_"It is time. Your day has come. Go forth, ensure the destruction of the Teen Titans, and deal with the traitor Pavayne. Your reward, should you succeed, shall be tremendous."_

* * *

Raven's eyes fluttered open. She yawned, stretched, and sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. Once her eyes adjusted to the lighting, she looked out the window at the city before her. The people, bustling about, heading to work, to school, to their various destinations. So many lives. So much to save. The girl's conviction returned. _Pavayne would not have these people_, she decided. _Not while I live._

20 minutes later, she passed through the twin doors of the living room, and saw her friends--the people who took her in when nobody else would--still hard at work, still trying to beat the odds and save her. It was all quite touching, really. "You guys are still working, I see," she said, quietly but loud enough for them to hear her.

Her friends all raised their faces to look at her. "You expectin' anything less?" Cyborg quipped.

Raven walked, slowly, to where her friends were gathered. "Well, a cake and some music would've been nice, but I suppose I'll settle for this."

Robin turned to face her, and for the first time in weeks, looked her in the eye. "Raven...I...I'm sorry," he said. "We didn't...we couldn't--"

"Don't be," she interrupted. "This is more than I ever could have hoped for. You've all done so much, for me. If and when this all ends..." She looked them all over. The Titans. Her friends. Her surrogate family. She loved them all, from the bottom of her heart. "I promise, I'll take you all out for pizza. My treat."

Cyborg stood. "Hell, we'll talk about that when the time comes. You look like you're starvin'--why don't I fix you up some bacon and eggs?"

Raven's gaze drifted back from Cyborg, to the young man resting on the couch. Her smile deepened at the sight of him. "Actually...I think I'd prefer tofu eggs. Just this once."

_

* * *

"Your task will not be an easy one. The other for children are zealous in their devotion to the gem. They are quite close to her, for whatever reason, and will not simply let her die._

9:02 AM, Pacific Standard Time

* * *

Raven set the fork down and pushed away the cleaned plate. She dabbed at her mouth with her napkin and sighed in content. 

Beast Boy looked at her anxiously. "So...how was it?"

Raven considered. "It was..." Beast Boy braced himself for the worst. "...Delicious," she finished. "And I'm not just saying that."

Beast Boy grinned in relief. "Yeah...you know, it's too bad you never asked me to cook for you before."

"It's one of my only regrets," Raven said. She paused and looked down, before looking back at Beast Boy and continuing. "But...if this really is going to be my last meal...I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

Under normal circumstances, Beast Boy would be bouncing off the walls with joy. But the way things were...

All he could do in response was cover her hand with his own. "Ditto."

They sat there like that, for what seemed like eternity. Until their peaceful moment was shattered by the painful reminders of what day it was.

The computor screen darkened--not quite turning black, just dark. The room darkened along with it, and, briefly, the sky seemed to turn red. The Titans look on with horror as six words, in flowing, blood-red script, appeared on the screen.

**I have come for the Gem...**

Instantly, Robin was on his feet. "Track it," he snapped, to no one in particular.

Cyborg opened his arm panel. "The interface says it was broadcast from...oh, no..."

Starfire peered over his arm. "What? Where did it come from?"

Cyborg looked back at her. "From the old library."

_

* * *

"They will resist you, with every last once of strength they have. Do not hesitate; show no mercy. If you can, wait for the traitor to reveal himself before slaying the spawn of Scath."_

* * *

"You can't! I won't allow it!" Beast Boy snapped. 

"You can't speak for me!" Raven retorted.

"Raven, perhaps--"

"_Stay the hell out of this!" _Raven practically roared. "You can't fight my battles for me. _Nobody _fights my battles for me. Not even you."

Robin stepped forward. "Raven, he could be right." She glared at him, but Robin was undaunted. "This could be what draws you out. It might actually be best if you stayed here."

Calmer with her leader, Raven shook her head. "You don't understand. Whatever is out there is no doubt well beyond any of you. If it came for me, it'll be strong enough to kill Pavayne, and that's saying something."

Robin stared her down, but Raven held firm. "You _need _me for this," she said. "Don't argue."

After a moment, Robin finally relented. "Fine," he sighed. He looked at his teammates. "Guys, gals...let's mosey." He strode out the door, with Starfire in tow.

Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged a look that said "_Does he listen to himself when he talks?" _before Cyborg exited the living room. Beast Boy started to follow, but stopped when he noticed Raven wasn't with him. He turned to look at her. "You coming?" he asked, almost snapping.

She looked back up at him, her eyes red, brimming with tears. Beast Boy's expression softened. "Raven..."

"It's funny," she said with a brief laugh. "Not three minutes ago, I was enjoying my breakfast...and now..."

A feeling of pure remorse washed over Beast Boy. He took Raven's hand. "Whatever happens," he told her, "I'm with you to the end."

Raven sniffed, but nodded her head and the two left the room together.

_

* * *

"Draw them out, if you must, but let them come to you. Make sure you are at the proper place, in case you fail to destroy the Titans. Let Pavayne finish them, and engage him yourself. I am confident in your ability to defeat the old one."_

9:45 AM, PST

* * *

They had expected an army, at the least. Hordes of demons, brought forth and gathered by Pavayne, to dispose of the Titans and bring Raven to her knees. They had expected the very hosts of Hell to empty and surround them. 

They didn't expect a single, armorless, red demon with an unrealistically large one-handed axe.

He was at least seven feet tall. Blood red skin covered his body. A brush of steel-grey hair covered his scalp. His face was, perhaps, the most unnerving thing about him, besides the weaponry. Two blank, jet-black eyes, a flat, almost nonexistent nose, and two yellowed fangs sticking out from the corners of his mouth. His chest was bare; his legs and waist were covered by iron armor. As the Titans landed around him, he sized each of them up, determining their strengths and weaknesses. After a long moment of silence, he began to chuckle. His chuckle grew, louder, still louder, and echoed off the walls of the derelict buildings around him. His voice was deep and sinister, yet tempered, with a bit of a cultured sound to it. It was an odd combination, to say the least. When at last, he was done laughing, he spoke. "This...this is it. This is all that greets me."

He looked over each Titan a second time. "From what my master had told me, I expected to see great heroes. All I see is a nursery of children, barely old enough to stand on their own." He spat. "Pointless. Simply pointless busywork. And yet, a job is a job."

"I've known you for all of eighteen seconds, and I've had about enough out of you," Robin growled. "Titans, GO!"

Blue sonic energy and green starbolt soared at him, striking him in various places. He grunted, straining from the attack, and looked back at the Titans. "I'd underestimated you..."

Starfire rushed him. She whirled in midair, sending one of her legs at the demon. He ducked, swung his axe, and nearly decapitated Starfire. She swung a fist, aiming for his head. He ducked again, and drove his own fist into her stomach. Starfire's eyes widened, and she fell out of midair, clutching her torso. The demon smirked. One down.

Cyborg and Robin attacked him in tandem. A second volley of blue came at him, blasting him in the chest. He jerked backward, and brought his axe up and around to deflect the next blast, following it up by hurling it through the air. The axe struck Cyborg, embedding itself in his chest. Sparks flew from the wound, and electricity crackled around him. The blue glow that eminated from his body dulled and he shut down, collapsing on the ground.

Behind him, a metal staff soared through the air. The demon sidestepped the attack, grabbed the end of the staff, and swung it in front of him, sending Robin crashing down, facefirst, into the pavement. Satisified, the demon brushed his hands off. "Dissappointing," he muttered, stepping over Robin's body and heading towards Raven.

Beast Boy, the last thing standing between the demon and Raven, charged suddenly, in the form of a triceratops. He lowered his head, looking to impale the demon on one of his horns. He came in striking distance, raised his head up, let out a growl--

Quick as lightning, the demon sidestepped Beast Boy's charge, knelt behind the massive collar of the triceratops, and drove his fist into the back of his neck, toppling the dinosaur. He rose again, and continued his walk towards the hapless witch.

Raven was shaking. She backed away, slowly, until she tripped on a piece of rubble and fell. She inched away from the demon, who stopped a few feet away from her. Raven stared, unsure of what was about to happen.

To her genuine shock, the demon smiled. "I was beginning to think I'd never meet you, Raven," he said, rather pleasently.

Raven's head tilted to one side in confusion. The demon continued. "After all these years, after hearing so much about you from Trigon--"

"You knew Trigon?" she asked.

The demon's smile grew. "He created me. Which technically makes us half-siblings."

Raven didn't know what to say. So she said the obvious thing. "Who are you?"

The demon gave a slight bow. "I am called Krull Kullen. In times past, I led the armies of Trigon on a conquest of a thousand world. Entire races lived and died at his command. But now..." his smile shrunk a bit. "Now I am a hitman for a demon not fit to clean the blood from Trigon's antlers. But I persevere. I may have a new master, but my goal is still the same. There _will _be a new world, Raven, and I don't particularly care who runs it, so long as I am a part in it."

Raven rose to her feet. "I don't know what Pavayne promised you, but he--"

"Pavayne?" Krull Kullen laughed. "Oh, it's not him. I do have my self-respect. Cassius Pavayne is well beneath my master, I assure you. And, consequently, myself." His fist crashed into Raven's cheek, sending her to the ground once more. "But talk is cheap. Let me end this now."

"Surprise!" Sonic energy blasted Krull Kullen in the back, and he toppled to the ground. He looked up to see Cyborg, on his feet, sonic cannon leveled at Krull Kullen's head. He examined the gaping wound in Cyborg's chest. "I thought I'd killed you!"

Cyborg shrugged. "I've had worse." He fired again, and this time Krull Kullen was fortunate enough to dodge. He never saw the staff coming however, and was struck in the side of the head by Robin. "We all have," he said, and Robin charged again, supplemented by a flurry of starbolts, keeping the demon hitman at bay. He dodged another round of sonic energy, retrieved his axe, deflected a blow from Robin, and--

The T-rex was on him in an instant, massive, green jaws clamping down on the spot where Krull Kullen was standing. He jerked to the side, waited for Beast Boy to raise his head again, and swung the axe. The blade found it's mark, cutting deep into Beast Boy's neck. Instantly, he reverted to human form, gagging on his own blood, clutching his throat and writhing in agony on the ground. Krull Kullen twirled his axe in the air a few times, and raised it over Beast Boy's head.

Mechanical arms grabbed him from behind and flung him backward. With a roar of pure, unfiltered rage, Cyborg unleashed everything--sonic cannons flashed and missiles soared, exploding at and around Krull Kullen.

Behind Cyborg, Raven rushed to Beast Boy's side. "Please," she whispered, holding her hands over the neck wound. "Please, hold on." The wound began to close, and Raven began to ascertain the damage to her friend. The wound was deep, but not fatal. A portion of the jugular had been cut through, but by a stroke of luck, it missed the larynx entirely. _Possibly bad luck,_ she thought, briefly giving herself a bit of comic relief.

The wound closed comepletely. Beast Boy looked up at her. He tried to speak, but winced in pain, and so settled for a grateful look. Raven returned the loving gaze, before being hoisted off the ground by a bloodied, rage-blinded Krull Kullen. "I'm ending this," he snarled. "I'm ending this NOW!" He brought his axe up. In his mind, Beast Boy screamed in terror. The axe came, and bounced off a screen of dark magic. Krull Kullen blinked. "What--"

He never finished his sentence. A fist of pure, black energy smashed him in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. Raven floated a foot off the ground, levitating towards Krull Kullen. "I'm no pushover," she said with the false calm of someone holding back massive amounts of rage. "I'm not weak. I'm not some damsel that needs saving." An invisible blow to the stomach sent Krull Kullen to his knees. "I am the most powerful, most deadly, and most pissed-off witch you have ever and will ever meet." Krull Kullen staggered back to his feet and raised his axe.

"STAY DOWN!" Raven screamed, striking again. Krull Kullen toppled to the ground as Raven closed in on him. "I am Raven Roth, born to Arella and raised in Azarath. I have faced one-eyed pedophiles, gender-confused hypnotic cyborgs, and, yes, my own father, and I have overcome them all, and you are to be no different than any of them."

Krull Kullen stared at Raven and smiled evily. "Funny," he said. "It seems like just yesterday I that met Arella. As I recall, her head bounced when it struck the ground."

Raven locked Krull Kullen in a vice grip, black energy encasing his body. Her mouth gushed profanities and words in no language known to man, and Krull Kullen stood, suspended by Raven's web, enduring unimaginable pain, smiling all the while.

_Just a few more seconds, _he told himself. _Just a few more seconds, just a few more seconds, just a few more--_

* * *

Carson stood, as he often found himself doing these days, at a window, staring out at the events transpiring, watching with undisguised admiration as Raven manhandled Krull Kullen. _Quite a show, isn't it? _a disembodied voice asked, almost pleasently. 

Carson recognized that voice. Instantly, he raised his shotgun. "Show yourself, you goddamn coward!" he shouted at the darkness.

Pavayne's voice came again. _Not likely, _he said with a laugh. _I have a prior appointment, unforunately. _

"You honestly think I'll let you go through with it?" Carson asked.

_Of course I don't, _Pavayne answered. _And I can't have you interfering with my plans. So let me give you something to keep you occupied while I end this sorry world._

Before Carson's eyes, a mist, like a morning fog, appeared. It began to thicken, and finally congeled into a shapeless form. The form twisted and finally took on a human shape. Features began to define themselves. Hair sprouted from the back of it's head and extended to it's upper back. Colors began to seperate and spread across the body--white skin, silvery clothing--a bodysuit, actually--blonde hair--

Suddenly, Carson knew who it was that Pavayne had brought for him. He raised she shotgun defiantly as the final feature-- a black S in a circle, defined by an orange background, appeared in the center of her chest.

Carson was mildly amused. "That's not Terra," he said.

_No, but it's close enough, _Pavayne responded. _A virtual clone, born out of Raven's--and your--memories. It has everything Terra had; looks, powers, skills. Unfortunately, it's somewhat lacking by way of a personality._

Carson smirked. "Do you actually believe, for one instant, that this...this clone can take me?"

This time, Pavayne laughed. _Dear boy, _he chuckled, _You couldn't take when she was a rock._

Terra took a step forward. _Play nice, you two._

* * *

Raven's attack suddenly ceaced, releasing Krull Kullen, letting him fall to the ground. He coughed up a black liquid that could only be blood and staggered to his feet. Seemingly uninjured, and still full of stamina and guile, Krull Kullen folded his arms and watched with a smug look on his face as Raven lay, on her knees and elbows, clutching at her head. 

The other Titans rushed towards her. Starfire got there first. "Raven--"

Black energy expanded outward, sending the Titans flying backward, scattering them across the battlefield. The energy swirled around her in a hurricane of black magic. She raised an arm, aimed it at the old library, and launched an energy blast that flattened the structure, exposing a concrete panel with the Mark of Scath engraved on it.

The energy storm died down. The Titans staggered back to their feet as pages from hundreds of old books rained down on the ground. Raven stood, slowly, carefully, and cracked her neck. "That's better," she said, in a deathly quiet voice.

Beast Boy looked at her, his eyes wide with fear. "R-raven?"

Raven's head turned, and on her face was an evil, ear-to-ear grin. Her eyes were jet black, and when her mouth moved, the voice that spoke was Raven's, the pronunciation was Raven's, but they could tell that it wasn't their friend.

"Raven doesn't live here anymore."

* * *

Gee. Could THAT be how they could tell? 

Anyway.

The goth coffee house water thing was a reference to SaintH's "The Perils of Titan Dating." Read it, bitch.

Review now, thank ye kindly.

-RR76


	14. Hopeless

**RR76**: Hey guys.

Sorry for not updating sooner--I've been busy. We moved into a new, incredibly badass house with three stories and two living rooms, I didn't have internet for a while, and I've been in the shop for a job.

There's also been a general feeling of ennui involved. For a little while I debated whether or not to leave Finally, I decided that I hated leaving things unfinished. I'll stay at least until the Carson series is over.

Also, walking kicks ass. I've been taking remarkably long, four-hour walks lately. Great excercise. Also, it bakes the skin a nice, crispy golden-brown. It's all good.

Anyway, I'm eternally sorry for taking so damn long. Here's my apology--all 8000-plus words of it.

**MOD's latest flame:**

Still nothing. But if he's reading this chapter, I will tell him now: Leave the girl alone. She wants nothing to do with you.

He knows who I mean.

**A/N: I have decided to refer to Pavayne as "he," in this chapter, despite the fact that he is in a female body. He still has the mind and soul of a man, even if he's in a woman's body.  
**

**The Colonal: But isn't that an argument in favor of transsexualism?**

**RR76: ...Go run laps. Bitch.**

**When referring to Pavayne's body, I will say "Raven." It's Raven's body, even if he's in control. When referring to the person, I will say "Pavayne." Are we clear?**

Good.

* * *

_9:45 AM_

* * *

The being known as Cassius Pavayne surveyed his new form, looking up and down the body of the girl he had posessed. Through Raven's mouth, he spoke: "I like it. I really do. It is female, but that is irrelevent. It has a certain grace to it." With a casual grin, he added, "Plus, I've always wondered what it's like to have boobs." 

The gargantuan axe of Krull Kullen whipped past Pavayne's head, narrowly missing. "You are a transvestite," the deposed general snarled at his quarry.

Pavayne's grin grew into an almost friendly smile. "Krull Kullen!" he proclaimed, as if greeting an old aquaintence. "It has been too long. The years have certainly not done you well." Remembering the axe that had come at him, he changed the subject. "I take it you are here to kill me?" Krull Kullen gave no answer, and so Pavayne took his silence as a yes. "By all means, try."

He charged Pavayne, swinging a fist at the Old One's head. Pavayne dodged, then ducked under the second punch, and continued to weave in and out, avoiding Krull Kullen's blows with an almost whimsical air about him. Eventually, Pavayne grew bored, and with an almost casual wave of his hand, he sent Krull Kullen toppling backward, where he lay unconcious on the decrepit pavement.

Pavayne then turned his attention to the Titans, and he could not help but chuckle at the shellshocked faces of his enemies. "Oh, don't be surprised. You all knew Raven had a bad side. One way or another, it was bound to get out--I just happened to have my finger on the button when it did."

"You're wrong!"

The cry came from the vertically-challenged shapeshifter in the Titan's ranks. Five pairs of eyes turned to look at him, wide with surprise.

"You aren't Raven," he growled. "Raven isn't some evil maniac bent on destroying the world. Raven isn't like that. You're just a shallow, scared man wearing her face because you're weak, you're pathetic, and you couldn't take what you wanted without violating a sixteen year old girl and using her to murder her friends!"

Pavayne, though greatly surprised at the outburst, managed to hide it well behind a thick veil of sacrasm. "My good man, it seems you managed to grow a pair sometime this past month. Sadly, your newfound testicular fortitude shall do you little good." He began to levitate, higher and higher into the air and, through a magnified, booming version of Raven's voice, he spoke. "I do hope you like this speech--I've had eternity to work on it."

"To all who may oppose me: Congratulations, you have fought vailently. You have taken what I have thrown at you these past weeks, and have come out stronger for the experience. But it ends now. Tremble and despair, for the hour of doom has come to your world."

"This site shall be hallowed--all who come here shall look upon the broken corpses of my enemies and know that there are none who can truly compare with the might and the fury of the Old One. Let this battle come to an end."

The body of Raven glowed with a blood-red light. "Arashmahar, indu-a-fallatora. Insecte qide'k'nor du cordre sul!"

Glaring down at the four teenaged superheroes, he uttered the final lines of the incantation. "To my will I bend thee, oh blackest spirits of the Beast. Take form now, and bring swift wrath to those who would oppose thee!"

Red mist materialized around Pavayne. The mist descended, and congeled, into a shapeless mass of flesh. It twisted and shook, protruding outward at random angles, until it finally took on a humanoid shape.

Four beasts, each one seven feet tall, knotted with muscle and completely bare, finally came into existence. Their mouths, lined with razor sharp teeth, twisted into cruel grimaces, as each one savored their newfound life and set their gaze upon their new enemies.

Cyborg voiced their collective opinions: "Holy shit on a stick..."

A cocoon of black energy surrounded and encased the Pavayne. Even as he faded from view behind his ebony fortress, one final sentence echoed across the deserted streets.

_They don't call me a demon summoner because I'm a master of the Wok..._

**

* * *

...Though it would be nice if they recognized that too.**

**

* * *

**  
A sharp blow to the stomach sent Carson to his knees, where Terra delivered a sharp kick to his chin, snapping his head backward. A second blow came to his throat, and Carson, coughing for breath, toppled to his side, clutching his stomach in pain.

He recovered just in time to see the foot of his opponent come down on his face. He caught it with both hands, and, wheezing through the pain, pushed hard, sending Terra backward. Carson struggled to his feet, drawing his trophy knife as he went.

"Hate to say it cutie," he gasped, "but I think you're actually stronger than the real deal. I don't recall Terra ever kicking my ass this easily."

Terra, completely silent, swung her leg at Carson's ribcage. The adolescent Hellgod-incarnate caught her by the knee and lashed out with his left arm, catching Terra across the jaw. As he pulled his arm back, he turned the knife around so the edge faced the opposite direction, and jerked it at Terra's throat. She pulled her head back just in time, jerked her leg free, and sent a pillar of rock crashing into Carson, sending him flying across the rocky battlefield.

Carson dug his knife into the rock before he could topple into the abiss, and swung himself upward onto the walkway, tweaking one of his muscles as he went. He winced in pain for a second, before noticing his discarded shotgun lying a few feet away. Terra had stripped him of the weapon early in the fight, forcing him to use nothing but fist and foot against the incarnation of his former nemesis.

As he rushed to claim his weapon, Terra appeared, supported by a floating hunk of Earth, and kicked the weapon off the platform. Carson gave a yelp of surprise and dove, grabbing it before it could fall. He swung it forward, not taking the time to aim, and fired a round off, hitting Terra's rocky pearch, upsetting it and sending the girl falling to the ground.

Carson stepped forward, kicking Terra in the stomach. She rolled over and struggled back to her feet, only to be smashed in the chin by the butt of Carson's shotgun. He struck her again on the side of her head, before raising it back up, point-blank at Terra's ribcage, and firing.

Terra grabbed the barrel as the weapon discharged, thrust it forward into Carson's stomach, and then wrested it from his hands, swinging it like a club and striking Carson across the jaw with the back end. Terra lifted it high into the air, leaving a gaping hole for Carson to take advantage of. He kicked her in the stomach, and she fell backward, dropping the weapon as she went.

Carson ran forward, grabbed the shotgun, and leapt onto Terra, planting his foot on her solar plexis and pressing down--hard. He raised the weapon to her face, cocked, and fired.

Sparks and a bit of smoke trailed form the business end of the gun. "That never fails to happen," Carson moaned.

Terra took advantage of this lapse in creative writing and smacked the shotgun out of Carson's hands. Before he could reach for it, a small boulder was raised, hovered over the shotgun, and dropped, crushing the firearm.

Carson gaped, but before he could make a wisecrack, Terra caught him in the jaw with a two-fisted blow, (heh, two-fisted blow) and attacked with a flurry of martial arts techniques, punches, kicks, chops, anything and everything she could throw at him, including bits of scenery. As Carson dodged the blows and rocky goodness that was hurled at him, he noticed the platform they were on beginning to rise into the air. After a bit of pondering, he realized: Terra was levatating the battleground.

Well, goddamn. Deja-fucking-vu.

Carson fought on, deflecting strike after blow after punch after rock, dodging, occasionally throwing a meaningless punch at the geomancer. Terra fought ferociously, quickly, not tiring once. But as she gained the upper hand, she began to grow complacent, almost lazy, in her attacks, and Carson took full advantage of this. He scanned her technique, searching for an opening, and--

There. Terra dropped her left shoulder every time she kicked with her right leg. It was almost nothing, but still, with that knowlege...Disguising his smug look, he deflected another punch, an elbow, a punch, until--

The shoulder dropped. It was small, barely noticable, but it was there, and Carson ducked under the kick that followed, drew his fist backward, and with every ounce of strength he could muster, drove it into Terra's stomach.

Terra clutched at herself, reeling from the tremendous blow. She took one, two, three steps backward, and fell on her rear, staring up at Carson as he strode toward her.

Suddenly, Terra did something she hadn't done for the duration of the battle.

She cracked a smile.

It grew, and as the smile grew, so too did a hairline fracture running down the center of the platform. It widened, and finally split in two, with Terra on one end and Carson on the other. It dawned on him what Terra was doing: She was using the very same maneuver she had used in their previous bout.

The platform with Terra gained altitude as the platform with Carson dipped downward and fell into the void beneath him. The typical fire appeared around Carson, and he disappeared as the platform imploded, dust shrouding the flames that had surrounded him.

He rematerialized behind Terra, drew his right arm back, and brought it down on her heart.

Terra spun around, grabbed Carson's wrist, twisted it so it faced his stomach, and impaled him on his own knife.

Except there was no knife.

Suddenly, white hot pain shot through Terra's body, followed by the feeling of something dislodging itself from her back. Carson pushed her away, and held the bloodied knife in his left hand, holding it over Terra's face.

"Just how big an idiot," he intoned, "do you really think I am?"

Terra gaped at the blade, and finally, shockingly, smiled. "Well played," she said, her first words since the battle had begun. "It was...nice...to see you again."

Carson returned the smiled. "Likewise."

Terra's smile faded, and her head fell back on the plaform. Her body began to melt into the rock, until there was nothing but a red stain on the surface of the platform.

The aforementioned platform fell at an alarming rate, no longer suspended by Terra's powers. Carson sprinted forward and leapt off the rockface, onto the walkway on which the fight had begun. He walked towards the bouldar that had crushed his shotgun and heaved it upward, tossing it over the lip of the walkway, and grimaced at the remnants of the weapon. "I'd just gotten it NRA-certified, too..."

Before he could grieve for too long, Carson sensed something coming up behind him. He dove forward just in time to avoid being biscected by a massive blade. Turning around, he saw a rocky figure, four-limbed, two of which held broadswords. It's face held two pairs of glowing red eyes, and it grinned at him with a long, black seperation that passed for a mouth.

Behind him, Carson heard the unmistakable sound of a Big-Ass MoFo'n Beastie's Big-Ass MoFo'n feet. He turned to see the massive, sixty-foot tall visage of Trigon the Terrible, all four yellow-glowing eyes staring daggars at him.

"Rage shall consume you!" it roared.

The smug look that Carson had made oh-so famous once again graced his features. "Of course it will."

And he threw himself into battle once again.

_

* * *

9:58 AM_

* * *

The blue light of Cyborg's sonic cannon drove the demon backward, into a darkened alley not far from the ruins of the old library. Behind him, a green Tyrannosaur smashed another two into the same alley with it's tail. Overhead, a fourth demon fell, dropped from thirty feet up, atop his bretheren.

Leaping upward, Robin hurled every freeze-disk he had at the lips of the alley, forming a wall of solid ice that encased the demons inside.

"This is gettin' ri-God-damned-diculous," Cyborg groaned. "We need a new plan, 'cuz that ice won't hold forever."

"There is." All eyes turned to Beast Boy. The shapeshifter cleared his throat, uncertain, and voiced his idea. "About two weeks ago, Raven came to me with an idea for a plan-B."

"There's a plan-B?" Cyborg yelled. "Why the hell have we been gettin' bitch-slapped up and down the street when there's a PLAN B?"

"Plan-9, actually," Beast Boy corrected. "The name was Raven's idea. I can't imagine where she got it though..."

"This plan-9," Starfire inquired, "What does it entail?"

Beast Boy cleared his throat again. "Well, um, basically, I go back to the tower, into her mirror, and, um...rescue...her."

His teammates looked speechless. "Do you have any idea how supremely retarded that sounds?" Cyborg demanded. "This isn't some crappy fanfic written by a depressed teenager, this is real life!"

The wall of ice cracked, and the roars of the demons behind it could be heard through it's frozen exterior.

"As retarded as it sounds, it's all we've got to go on," Robin cut in. "Even if we beat these demons, we'll have to take on Pavayne sooner or later, and I refuse to end today by killing one of my friends."

"Robin is right," Starfire said. Her gaze fell on the black cocoon that encased Pavayne. "Beneath the unappealing clorbag that we are facing is Raven. We cannot kill Pavayne without killing our friend."

Robin turned to Beast Boy. "Can you pull this off?"

Beast Boy nodded. "What about you guys? You're gonna be short one man."

"That, child, is where you are wrong." From behind them, the hulking form of Krull Kullen appeared, gripping his beloved weapon with barely-contained rage. "I will bring these mindless creatures to their knees. I shall make them my chalice and drink from the burning wine of their blood."

"...Nice to have you with us," Robin deadpanned, still processing the little speech. Turning back to Beast Boy, he continued. "Get in, get out. Bring her back."

"I will." Beast Boy looked up at his friends. The people he loved. "I promise."

Their moment was destroyed as the ice wall shattered, and the demons that Pavayne had summoned rushed out to meet the Titans.

"Go!" Robin shouted, and Beast Boy was gone. He drew his bo-staff. "Titans, go!"

**

* * *

**  
After what seemed like hours--though it was really a matter of minutes--Beast Boy had arrived at the tower, rushed upstairs to Raven's room, broken down the door with one swing of a meaty Gorilla fist, and rushed inside, tearing apart the room looking for Raven's mirror.

He found it on her nightstand next to her bed. Raising it to his face, he looked into his reflection. _Now, how did this work last time?_ he thought. Vaguely, he remembered something about acne...and in the back of his mind, an elderly man with a plate of American cheese...but he couldn't remember the details.

Closing his eyes, he imagined himself entering the mirror, and he pictured he rocky landscape of Raven's mind. _This is stupid, _he thought. _I might as well be clapping my heals and saying 'There's no place like home, there's no place like--'_

And he opened his eyes, and behold! he was there. "Hey, it really did work," he mused to himself.

Walking down the path before him, he looked back and forth for any sign of Raven. "Now, if I were a girl imprisoned inside her own mind, where would I--"

His foot caught on something and he tripped. D'oh.

Beast Boy looked down, and caught sight of the flattened, ruined carcas of what once may have been a rifle or shotgun of some kind. Around him, the rocky terrain was broken in several places, and several large chunks were missing--telltale signs of a battle. The most telling sign was right in front of Beast Boy--the shattered, ruined pieces of the statue that had attacked him and Cyborg when he had first entered the mirror, and oddly enough, one of it's swords was missing.

As he pondered this, the sound of huge, stomping feet eminated from behind him. Beast Boy turned and blanched at the gargantuan fascimile of Trigon the Terrible that stood before him.

"Hatred shall rule!" it called to him, and swung a massive fist at him. Beast Boy shut his eyes as tight as they would go, awaiting his imminent doom.

Except it never came. A roar of agony sounded from the monster, and Beast Boy opened his eyes to see that it's arm had been cut off, tar-like blood gushing from the wound. He blinked. "Um, double you tee eff?" he asked nobody in particular.

His confusion was cleared up quicky. A figured, clad in black, darted up and around Trigon. It landed on the demon's shoulder, raised its' sword, and plunged it into Trigon's neck, straight on into the vein. It dislodged the weapon, disappeared in a flash of light, and re-materialized in front of Beast Boy. Drawing his arm back, he let the sword soar, straight through the heart of the beast. Though normally it would have been a pinprick to such a great beast, the size of the blade and the accuracy of the throw had done enough damage. Blood poured from either side of the wound, and Trigon fell, into the void beneath them.

Speechless, Beast Boy could only stare at his rescuer in wonder. Slowly, he turned to face him, and...

A look of pure, unfiltered hatred and rage twisted Beast Boy's face almost unrecognizably.

"_You..."_

Carson tilted his head to one side. "Nice to see you too. So, you're the reinforce-hey!"

Before he could finish the sentence, Beast Boy had morphed to a gorilla and hurled himself at his rescuer. He threw several blows, until Carson punched him in the stomach, twice across the jaw, and gave him a palm-strike to the solar plexis. Beast Boy fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of him.

"Take it easy," Carson chided. "I'm on your side."

"Shut up," Beast Boy gasped. "You shouldn't even be alive, you murderous son of a bitch."

Carson looked down at Beast Boy. "Listen to me. I know how you feel towards me. I know that you want to kill me in the most gruesome ways imaginable, and, quite frankly, I don't give half a hump about any of it. We have a job to do."

Beast Boy struggled back to his feet, his expression glued to his face. "How can you even be alive, after what Raven did to you?"

Carson laughed softly. "I'd bore you with the exposition, but we don't have time for that. If you're here, that means things are going pretty badly on the outside world."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "You know about this?"

"Of course," Carson said. "The plan was my idea. Well, the name and some of the finer details, really. Credit should really go to Raven."

Still wincing from the pain, Beast Boy stepped towards Carson. "You killed Terra."

Carson rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes I did. Twice. Hit me, sue me, whatever. Just be quick, we're seriously pressed for time."

"Twice? How did..." Beast Boy shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Whatever..."

Carson sighed. "Look, the idea was that while you go looking to get Raven back in control of her body, I go out into the world and help your friends with whatever it is they're fighting, and buy you enough time to do whatever it is you're gonna do. Sound familiar?"

Beast Boy stared at Carson. "Why...? Why are you doing any of this?"

Carson looked away. "I have my own reasons. If Raven dies, I die, and if Pavayne Ascends, then I'll die anyway. It's in my best interest to keep her alive."

"Your 'best interests,'" Beast Boy spat. "How noble of you."

"You've been around Raven too much," Carson shot back. "Sounds to me like she's rubbing off on you. The Beast Boy I remember was an inwardly-focused, immautre, prepubescent coward."

"You're one to talk. You're the same selfish, backstabbing little man who tried to kill us," Beast Boy growled. "You don't deserve to live."

"Haven't you heard a word I've said!" Carson snapped, whirling to face Beast Boy. "We don't have time for this damn shouting match. We can yell and scream and trade blows 'till the cows come home, but ever second we waste here is another opportunity for Pavayne to rip your friends to bloody shreds."

The old Beast Boy would have dismissed this. Caught up in the righteous fury he felt toward Carson, he would have morphed into the largest, most deadly beast he could conjure, and murdered the young assassin.

The new Beast Boy, on the other hand, was not so hot-headed. Slowly, he regained control over his emotions. "You're right. What's the plan?"

Carson looked around. "You should know. You see if you can get Raven to regain control over herself. I'll take care of things topside."

"How do I know you won't just take off and leave us all to die?" Beast Boy prodded, uncertain of his new ally's credibility.

"Don't be stupid," Carson replied. "This is my fight more than it is yours. If anyone deserves to bring Pavayne down, it's me. Besides," he added, turning to face Beast Boy, "...I wouldn't do that to Raven."

The two adolescents exchanged a look of silent understanding.

The damnable racket of battle met their ears. "We're out of time," Carson breathed. "You good to go?" Beast Boy nodded, and Carson, without another word, bolted down the path to the exit of Raven's mind.

"Carson!" The Hellgod incarnate turned back to Beast Boy.

"...Thanks. For what you're doing."

"Don't get used to it," Carson called back. "You guys and I still have a score to settle." With that, he turned and ran through the portal.

* * *

Carson collapsed a moment later on the floor of Raven's room. Slowly, he got back to his feet, and walked with a slow, deliberate pace, to the window. He threw open the curtains and stared out at the bay, at the seawater shimmering from the yellowish reflection of the midmorning sun. Carson inhaled slowly, deeply. "Free," he said quietly. 

The realization that he was wasting his damn time came over him, and Carson turned and strode from the room, past several rooms, not thinking twice about any of them...

...until he passed by the evidence room. He backtracked and stepped inside, gazing with wonder at the display leaning against the far wall.

The polished metal finish of his lost .45 revolver met his eyes. Almost tearing at the sight of his beloved weapon, Carson practically snatched it off the table and opened the chamber. All but one shot had been fired. _Just how I left it, _he thought fondly, and slid five bullets into the chamber. He gave it a twirl that would make Clint Eastwood jealous, and slid it into the long-empty holster at his hip.

Carson's eyes travelled a bit to the left, where the brass handguard of the Napoleonic-era naval cutlass he had so treasured still lay, leaning casually against the wall. Carson lifted it, nostalgia washing over him as he drew the blade a few inches out of it's sheath. Smiling, he slid it under his belt, turned, and ran as fast as he could, as hard as he could out of Titans'  
Tower.

_

* * *

10:32 AM_

_

* * *

_  
Robin grunted as his jaw connected with the ground. Struggling to his feet, he raised his head just in time to see the gray, meaty fist of his demon opponent connect with his face. Robin staggered backward, and, temporarily blinded, drew a birdarang and flailed it wildy in front of him.

Impossibly thick arms grabbed him from behind and lifted him a few feet into the air. The arms tightened their grip around him. Robin gasped, gritting his teeth and trying--and nearly failing--not to give the demon the satisfaction of a scream.

The pressure stopped, suddenly, and the arms went limp and fell, releasing Robin from their iron grip. Robin collapsed to his hands and knees, panting, sweat and blood mingling on his face and dripping down his nose.

"Don't get me wrong," an annoyingly familiar voice chuckled, "it's not that I don't appreciate what I'm seeing, but goddamn Robin! You've lost your mojo, that's what it is."

Robin whirled his head around so hard he must've gotten whiplash. His bruised, purple jaw dropped. "No..."

Carson's smug grin only grew at this. "Don't void your bladder just yet. For once, I'm not here to kill you." He strode forward, stepping over Robin's collapsed body, toward the black chrysalis in the sky. "Cassius!" he shouted. "I'm here! Why don't we settle this, the two of us?"

The black walls of Pavayne's chrysalis fell away, and the slim form of Raven floated down, until she once again stood on dry asphalt. Somewhere inside the chrysalis, Raven's clothing had changed--Pavayne no longer wore the trademark leotard and cloak. He was clad in light battle armor that covered Raven's torso down to the midriff. A skirt made of the same material covered the hips and upper thighs. The entire ensamble was a dark shade of navy blue, as a testament to Raven's usual fashion.

"Well," Pavayne said. "I see you survived the trap."

"Damn straight," Carson replied. "Nice touch, by the way, giving her Terra's personality and memories."

Pavayne smiled. "I do hope it made it that much harder to kill her."

"You know, it really didn't."

The two began to circle each other. "What now, boy?" Pavayne taunted. "Are you going to fight me? Kill me? I'd really like to see you try."

"You don't think I will?"

"I know you won't," Pavayne retorted.

"Shows what you know," Carson said, and drew his revolver. He fired two shots, hitting Pavayne square in Raven's heart both times.

Though clearly pained, Pavayne managed to smile. The wound slowly closed, and both bullets dropped from their respective holes. When it was over, only a pair of bullet-holes in Pavayne's armor remained.

"I didn't think that would work," Carson said. "Nice to know the armor isn't bulletproof though."

"So you know, then," Pavayne said. "It comes with the ritual. Until the Ascension itself, I am impervious to all outward harm."

"That doesn't mean you can't feel pain," Carson retorted. He drew the cutlass that hung at his side and assumed a fighting stance.

Pavayne donned his oft-used evil smile. A pair of swords, identical to the ones used by the statue in Raven's mind materialized in each hand. Surprisingly, Raven's arms were able to hold them both with no trouble. "So this is your grand master plan, Carson? You're going to attack me, knowing that you cannot beat me, cannot kill me, cannot possibly have any hope of defeating me on your own?"

"Basically, yeah," Carson said, brushing off Pavayne's taunts.

Pavayne tilted Raven's head. "I must say, you're putting much less effort into this than the last time you killed me."

Those were the final words exchanged, and the combatants charged.

* * *

Beast Boy had no idea what to do. He knew the plan. He knew he had to find Raven. What he didn't know was how he would. 

He had forgotten just how damn confusing this place could be.

So he ran, aimlessly, down endless roads of floating rock, through the same field of multicolored flora, and running in circles through the same laberynth, for what seemed like years.

This was almost as irritating as the REAL Raven could be.

Beast Boy had been running since he and Carson had parted ways, and he was understandably tired. He paused, planning to take a few seconds to catch his breath. Alas, things never go as planned. Beast Boy fell to his knees and gasped for breath, watching with mild amusement at the growing puddle of sweat before him.

He was like that for a matter of minutes. When he had finally caught his breath, Beast Boy rose to his feet. He suddenly felt a cold hand on his shoulder.

Whirling around, expecting to find Raven, Beast Boy instead came face to face with a man he had never seen before.

"Lost your way, have you?" the man asked casually. Before Beast Boy could answer, the man's meaty, unnaturally strong fist crashed into his jaw.

_

* * *

11:05 AM_

* * *

Carson ducked, and Pavayne's stroke sailed harmlessly over him. The second blade came bore down on him, and Carson leapt backward to avoid the blow. Pavayne charged at him and swung his blades in a scissors motion, the tips criss-crossing at Carson's throat. He jerked aside and thrust his own blade forward, piercing the skin of Raven's left breast. 

The blade sank deep, spilling a few ounces of blood, before the wound closed on it's own. Pavayne laughed and swung both blades in identical arcs. Carson leapt over the strike and drove his sword forward. The blade found it's mark, sinking into Pavayne's face and coming out the back of her head. Carson withdrew the weapon and returned to his normal fighting stance, and watched with disgust as the wound reset itself, sinew and bone twisting and jerking with sickening noises, until they had reformed into Raven's normal features.

"You can't win, boy," Pavayne taunted. "You've tried this same tactic, and eight seperate times it would have worked under normal circumstances. Commendable."

"They should give me a badge," Carson quipped. He rushed forward again, knocked Pavayne's blades out of the way, and swung his sword in an upward arc, finding a sizble chink in Pavayne's armor and cutting deep into Raven's flank, sending her body to it's knees, and in the same motion, Carson brought his sword down, stabbing the back of Pavayne/Raven's neck, sending Parayven's nervous system temproarily into chaos (yes, that was intentional spelling). Carson grabbed Pavayne by the arm, and with a great heave, hurled him across the street, into a derelict building.

Behind him, a series of disks sailed over his head, striking the building and igniting in a brilliant blaze of orange and red. Several tiny blue missiles and a flurry of green starbolts followed, and the building collapsed into a pile of smoldering rubble.

"Do not celebrate," a voice said from behind Carson. "We have gained a brief reprieve, but this battle is far from over."

Carson turned, and his eyes opened wide. "Krull Kullen," he mused. "When did you get here? Scratch that--when did you start using cliched middle-ages movie lines?"

Krull Kullen glowered at him. "I have come to your aid, young hellspawn," he said, holding up the dripping head of the demon he had been fighting. "Be grateful--had you been my quarry, my axe would have hewed you a very long time ago."

"Is that right?" Carson replied with an arrogant smile. "We did this dance before, Krull. Or did you forget?"

The three remaining Titans gathered next to Carson and Krull Kullen. "Demons?" Carson asked.

"They're taken care of," Cyborg replied. "Remind me why we aren't trying to kill you?"

"Because I'M not trying to kill YOU," Carson said. "This is a two-way street."

"Don't think that this evens things out, Carson," Robin said, catching his gaze and holding it. "We still have a serious score to settle."

Before Carson could give his comeback, the rubble pile exploded outwards. From the ashes of the building rose Pavayne. His armor was cracked and broken, and the remaining bruises and scortches adorning Raven's body were still fading, but on his/Raven's face was a look of absolute, seething hatred. The twin swords rematerialized in his hands, and he levitated back to the ground. Slowly, Pavayne began to walk toward his enemies.

"All in due time, Robin," Carson deadpanned. "Let's go to work.

* * *

Beast Boy dropped to his knees as blood dribbled from a corner of his mouth. He didn't stay that way for long, as a boot to the face sent him collapsing to his side. 

Over him, the man--who he had come to deduce was Pavayne--strode slowly toward him. "Nothing is stopping this," he growled. "Your Raven is gone, and your friends will soon follow, along with the rest of your world. This is MY day, and I will let none come between me and dominance!"

"Dominate THIS."

Black energy fountained out of a corner of the laberynth, smashing into Pavayne and engulfing him. It compressed into a ball, slowly, until it was a tenth it's original size...and then it was gone.

Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, Beast Boy turned his head slowly and saw Raven, clothed in all white standing a few feet away. He coughed, spat blood and grit from his mouth, and struggled back to his feet, leaning on one of the walls for support. "Raven," he breathed. "You did it."

"He'll be back," she replied. "What I destroyed was an avatar, an extention of his will. His true persona is untouchable."

"Oh, it's touchable," Beast Boy said. "I've seen you beat worse things than him."

"But...that was different," Raven replied. "Trigon had achieved physical form when I defeated him."

"So?"

"SO?" Raven yelled. "So HIS physical form just became MY physical form. I can't kill him!" She lowered her head and said, almost inaudably, "It's over."

"No, no it isn't," Beast Boy said, stumbling over to her and taking her by the shoulders, half supporting her, half supporting himself. "This is your mind, your body, not his. He can't control it forever."

"...He's doing a damn good job of it so far," Raven retorted, looking away.

"Raven--"

"Run," she said quickly, looking at him suddenly. "Run away, now. He's coming back."

"So what?" Beast Boy said dismissively. "Just squish him like you did last time."

"No," she replied. "He's coming himself."

"What are you--"

Above them, the "sky," darkened. The stars of Raven's mind faded out of existence. The girl in question collapsed to her knees and buried her face in her hands.

_**Little girl**, _an unseen voice sneered. **_Do you have any idea the kind of trouble you have been causing me? Yes, you and your friends Carson and Garfield, making your little schemes, trying to delay me from achieving my destiny..._**

"I'm sorry...I'm..."

**_Sorry? Bah. _**Raven shrieked and writhed on the ground in agony. **_Sorry won't cut it. THEY cannot kill your physical form...but I can kill you. The real you. I can make your soul and will and mind vanish from existence. And with you gone, I will have utter, absolute control over your power. Untapped wells that contain sheer primal energy...not even you can imagine that._**

Beast Boy raised his head to the sky. "You twisted piece of sh--"

**_Be silent. _**A bolt struck Beast Boy and he collapsed to the ground. Raven shrieked and collapsed again, sobbing Beast Boy's name to herself over and over.

_**Don't weep, girl. Nonexistence doesn't hurt. Well, there is the seventeen seconds of terrible, horrible, mind-rending agony, but after that, nothing. Nothing at all. Darkness that you cannot see. Silence that you cannot hear.**_

**_But enough of the pre-show, _**Pavayne mocked. **_Let's skip to the end._**

The walls of the laberynth crumbled. The platforms of rock imploded. All that remained was one single slab of rock, carrying the two Titans. From the jet-black sky of Raven's mind shot a white plume of fire. In the blink of an eye, Raven erected a barrier, protecting herself and Beast Boy from Pavayne's wrath.

Barely concious, Beast Boy looked up at Raven. His mind fumbled over the speech he had prepared weeks earlier, in preperation for this moment. Damn the luck, he couldn't remember any of it. Tossing the idea, Beast Boy decided to speak from the heart.

"Two years ago, you told me that I was the only person who understood you," Beast Boy began. He noticed Raven slowly shifting her gaze toward him. _It's working. _"So when I say that I know you can beat this guy, it isn't some fake supportive bullshit. It's the truth."

"I know what you can do, what you're capable of. I know just how strong you are. You have a will of...of...of something really hard, Raven, something that not even Pavayne can break.

It was brief, but Beast Boy could see that for a split second, the Raven he knew had returned. "Something really hard, huh?" she asked.

Through the agony wracking his entire body, Beast Boy smiled a true, genuine smile. "It's why I love you."

Multiple emotions washed over Raven's face--emotions that she had been sorely deprieved of for the last few months. After a moment, Raven returned the smile. "Thank you."

With that, her face went blank again. Her eyes glowed black, and she raised her arms over her head.

In a low voice, she uttered her incantation.

"Azerath..."

The barrier began to bulge inward.

"Metrion..."

The light from Pavayne's fire began to shine through

"Zinthos."

Her head snapped upward. "BURN IN HELL YOU SON OF A BITCH."

What remained of the barrier hurtled upward. With unimaginable force, it slammed into the darkness above the teens, and an ear-splitting roar could be heard. The sky burned red, seething with all of Pavayne's fury...and then the red was gone.

Rock platforms reformed themselves. The stars returned, and the sky regained it's dull red and black hue. Looking at her friend and confidante, Raven smiled her first real smile in ages. And out of sheer relief, she draped her arms around Beast Boy and planted a kiss on his lips.

After a moment, she broke the kiss and lay her head on his shoulders. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Beast Boy wrapped his arms around Raven and held her. "It's the least I could do."

The moment went on, probably longer than either expected it would. Faint while light began to shimmer around them, and the two floated, briefly, in the air.

_I just have one question though._

_Hmm?_

_How long has Carson been inside your mind?_

_...Beast Boy..._

_Right. Moment, don't ruin._

**_

* * *

_**_11:50 AM_**_  
_**

* * *

With a cry, Pavayne surged forward. Krull Kullen threw himself forward, directly into Pavayne's path. Without even stopping, Pavayne batted him away, and continued his charge. Robin and Cyborg stepped up next to Carson, and Starfire hovered over the three of them. 

Pavayne roared. A pair of blasts sent Cyborg and Robin flying in opposite directions. Green light blazed from Starfire's eyes, dealing no damage to the enraged demon summoner. Pavayne leaped into the air and struck Starfire square in the chest, knocking her to the ground.

His attention turned to Carson. The assassin raised his weapon to ward off Pavayne's attacks, but both the demon summoner's swords crashed down on him, diverging at a single point and snapping the cutlass' blade in two.

Pavayne's eyes blazed fury at Carson. "You smarmy, interloping--"

The wristguard of the cutlass smashed into Raven's jaw, the shock causing Pavayne to drop both his swords. Otherwise, the blow only served to further infuriate the already irate villian.

Pavayne grabbed Carson by the throat and slammed him to the ground. "How does it feel," Pavayne snarled. "How does it feel, having the life choked out of you, no friends, no allies, no nothing, nobody at all coming to save you. How does it feel child? How does it feel to die the way I died?" He roared with laughter, and continued. "And when it's all over, when I have my new form, when I have my power, Raven's power, and all the power of Trigon the Terrible at my disposal, why don't you tell me how it feels to be tormented and tortured the way I was for eternity?"

Carson tore futilly at Raven's wrists, trying to loosen Pavayne's grip on him, to no avail. His vision blurred, and began to darken...

And then, moments later, Pavayne let go of him and staggered backward. Carson leaped back to his feet. "Sorry Cassius," he said. "I plan to die laughing."

With that, he rushed forward and, as if driven by some unknown force, grabbed Pavayne by the neck. He pressed his forehead to Raven's, and a rush of sheer power, accumulated memory, and assorted etc. poured into him. Carson released Pavayne, who staggered backward in shock and awe.

Black energy encircled Carson. "Your power," he said, in a low voice, "is my power by right."

His speech ended there. Pavayne was screaming, clawing at his--Raven's--ears, and finally raised his head to the sky and howled as a bright light enveloped him. The light grew, and all present turned away from the sheer brightness.

And then it faded. Carson, and Robin, Cyborg and Starfire, rose to their feet and gathered around the spot where Raven, still holding her newfound love, sat.

The two slowly disengaged and returned to their feet. Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head and offered a sheepish grin. "Uh...sorry we're late?"

With that, Starfire rushed forward and flung her arms around the both of them, nearly squeezing the life out of her friends. She let go after a moment, and was followed by Robin and Cyborg.

"Hate to admit it B," Cyborg said with a grin of his own, "but you done good."

Returning the smile, Beast Boy reached up and slapped Cyborg's hand, then winced from the pain it still caused him to do...any sort of physical exertion.

Robin clapped a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder and gave a smile of approval. "Nicely done." He gave the same look, slightly warmer, to Raven.

Raven returend the smile, and then looked past the Boy Wonder, to the last of her saviors, who stood looking at her forlornly. Raven stepped past Robin, and, not caring what her friends though, pulled Carson into a tight hug.

The embrace was different than the one she shared with Beast Boy, but it conveyed her message perfectly. Carson returned the hug, squeezing his friend tightly. "Nice to have you back Rae," he whispered in her ear.

Looking on at them, slightly dumbfounded, Beast Boy couldn't help but pipe up. "What? He gets a hug and I get nothing?"

Releasing Carson from her grip, Raven turned back to Beast Boy. "You already got that, and more," she said with a smirk.

Robin picked up on the joke and mirrored Raven's smirk. "You aren't jealous, are you Beast Boy?"

"Jealous? Me?" Beast Boy offered an unconvincing shake of the head.

"C'mon Robin," Cyborg said, stepping next to Beast Boy. "I think our boy's mature enough not to get jealous when his girl hugs someone else."

"Since when am I 'his girl,'" Raven chimed in. "We both know who's wearing the pants here."

Cyborg gave her a blank look. "Thank you Raven, you just ruined a perfectly good boner joke."

Starfire piped up. "Besides, of course Beast Boy is jealous. His skin is green-pigmented with jealousy!"

After a moment of trying to figure out what the hell Starfire had just said, the other Titans snickered, and then began to give full-blown laughter. It wasn't the pun, or the odd phrasing Starfire had given it, but the ability to laugh, after all those long months, that made it worthwile.

Their laughter drowned out the sound of a far-away churchbell. _Dong. _

Twelve O'Clock PM.

_Dong._

Cyborg wiped away a tear, then continued to laugh.

_Dong._

Carson shook his head and smiled in bewilderment, then began to reload his revolver.

_Dong._

Not far away, a red mist began to gather over the lifeless corpse of one of Pavayne's demons.

_Dong_

"Hey Robin!" Carson called. "I thought we had a score to settle?"

_Dong_

Robin turned around, and abruptly stopped laughing. "Can't this wait?"

"Well, I'm only saying, you talk endlessly about how 'Oh, I'm the Boy Wonder, and with my Super Destructo-Disks of Justice--'"

"'Talking endlessly?' Do you ever get tired of the sound of your own voice?"

"I'm gettin' tired of yours pretty damn quickly you tight-wearing fairy piece of--"

Something large and grey shoved Carson away, knocked Robin out of it's path, and barrelled past Cyborg and Starfire.

**_"HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU HAVE A HAPPY ENDING! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!"_**

It grabbed Raven and threw her halfway down the street, into the lot where the old library had stood mere hours earlier. The body, under Pavayne's will, leapt the impossible distance, and landed in front of Raven, holding the broken blade from Carson's cutlass.

Reaching down, Pavayne grabbed Raven and held her over a great pit. Down at the bottom, somewhere, was the massive stone hand of Trigon. With a twisted grin, further obscured from the damage done to the host body's face, Pavayne raised the blade.

**_"One way or another, this world will end. And if I can't rule it, I'll still see to it that you, and your friends, die horribly."_**

And with that, Pavayne shoved the blade into Raven's belly. Blood flowed from the wound as Raven's face twisted into a grimace of pain.

Pavayne's grip loosened, and Raven fell into the pit, passing endless layers of dirt.

_**"Ta."**_

Something grabbed him from behind, and a moment later Pavayne was lying face-down on the ground. He rolled away from several different kinds of blasts, and barely dodged three lead slugs aimed at various points on his body. He looked up and saw the Titans, plus Carson, arrayed around the pit, each with a look of rage etched onto their face.

Pavayne smiled at them. **_"Your efforts are hopeless..."_**

Below them, inside the pit, a bright red light shot upward, knocking each of the fighters backward. It continued to rise, through the clouds and beyond. The sky darkened. Black clouds gathered, and the light from the pit only grew.

Out from the light thrust a blood-red arm, then another. A pair of legs, each ending in a cloven hoof, met the ground. As the light receded, the fears of the defenders of Jump City were confirmed.

The massive, white-haired, antlered visage of Trigon the Terrible, met them. As soon as the light cleared, the beast threw back it's head and let loose an otherwordly roar of primal fury.

And with that, the realization dawned on the Titans.

Pavayne was right. It was hopeless.

**

* * *

RR76: **And it's done. One long-ass, lengthy update, done finally.

Now, to go back to not updating regularly. Haha, I keed. Expect an update within this month. I won't take as long as I did this time to update ever again, I promise.


	15. The Ascension

**RR76: **This is it. The penultimate chapter to Ascension. The final battle between Trigon and the Teen Titans--and Carson.

Trigon, just like Pavayne, is referred to as male in this chapter. This is because Raven has taken on his form, and his conciousness, though feral, is the dominant of the two wills at the moment.

The end cometh.

**The standard disclamers apply: All characters, besides the ones created by me, are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment.**

**MOD'S Latest Flame.**

**All's quiet on this front. I almost miss him.**

**With that, let's get on with the story.**

**Unforunately, that little dividing bar isn't working so well, so we'll have to work without that today. **

**Act I  
**

_"The turkey's roasted, the potatoes are mashed, the cranberries are sauced, and the pie is be-pumpkined," Cyborg said gleefully. "Let the feasting begin!"_

_Raven threw a smirk in his direction. "'Be-pumkined?' For Azar's sake, Cyborg, you've been spending too much time around Beast Boy in that kitchen. Your syntax is attrocious."_

_"I've seen worse," Carson said casually, laying a napkin on his lap and filling a plate with mashed potatoes and gravy. "Back in '02, I took up a contract on a pair of sci-fi nerds who had come into posession of the Holy Grail. They ended up capturing me, and I was subjected to endless Monty Python quotes and assorted etc."_

_"I fail to see what this has to do with Beast Boy and Cyborg's inability to speak the English language properly," Starfire interrupted, tilting her head to the side in confusion. From next to her, Robin smiled and draped an arm around her shoulders._

_Carson cleared his throat as Cyborg returned to the kitchen for the rest of the food. "Well, eventually I broke free, and they mentioned something about giving them a spanking, and something about oral sex...so I gutted one of them and pistol-whipped the other so hard that he kept repeating 'all your base,' 'till put him out of his misery."_

_From across the table, Terra sighed. "Does every story you tell have to have the word 'gutted,' in it? It's getting to be a bad habit with you."_

_Carson gave her a meaningful look. "Eat your supper, Terra dear. You need to keep your strength up--you're all skin and bones...well, bones anyway."_

_The skin on Terra's face seemed to shrivel and blacken. "Watch it," Terra snapped, "'Else I'll eat you for desert."_

_"Is that a promise?" Carson replied in a low voice, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Terra couldn't help but chuckle, and took some biscuts and cranberry sauce._

_Cyborg arrived at the table, with Beast Boy in tow. The aforementioned changeling carried a plate of blackened tofu. "Sorry guys, I think I burnt the dolphin-safe tofu."_

_"Quick poll," Cyborg said, taking a seat next to Carson and tearing a drumstick off from the turkey. He chomped at it, and said through a mouthful of turkey, "Anybody care?" Negative murmors sounded around the table. _

_"Be that way then," Beast Boy snapped, sticking his tounge out and pulling out a chair next to Raven. "More for me."_

_Raven smiled and pecked him on the cheek. "Sorry your tofu wasn't a success." She gave him a seducitve look and contiuned, "Maybe we can do something to cheer you up? There could be outfits involved."_

_"Save it," Carson moaned. "We already get kept up at night by you two; we don't need it while we're eating." He raised an arm to snatch the gravy boat, but..._

_"Damn," he said softly. "I'd forgotten about that." Tucking the charred stump of a right arm away, he extended his left arm for the gravy boat._

_"Looks like we've got something in common?" Terra teased. A sizable portion of her burnt scalp dangled from her head, thing strands of blonde hair still attatched. She removed the barrete from her hair--what was left of it--and examined it. "This thing's nothing but trouble," she sniffed, and tossed it away._

_"Guys!" Robin called out. "Are we ever going to bury her?" He motioned to Starfire's body, slumped backward in her chair, a gaping hole in her midriff dribbling fluids._

_"We might want to soon," Beast Boy interjected. "She's getting her innards in the potatoes."_

_Cyborg stared at Carson's stump of a right arm. "You want me to fix up a new one for you?"_

_"No thanks." Carson turned his head and fixed a pair of black eyes on Cyborg. "Don't need an arm when you've got an army."_

_The fibers holding Terra's scalp onto her skull snapped and they fell into the gravy boat. "He always said I had beautiful hair," she murmured, staring at her gravy-soaked scalp in wonder. "He said that she had it too."_

_Raven stared down at her plate and felt her stomach lurch. "I'm suddenly not feeling so hungry, guys."_

_"Duh," Beast Boy scoffed. "I told you not to fill up on children before dinner."_

_"What are you..." Raven stood up from the table, stumbled, and braced herself on her chair. She looked down at her hands--her red-skinned, clawed hands. "Guys? Guys!"_

_"Hey, pass the yams," Carson growled in a thick, deep voice._

_"Guys! I think something's--"_

_Terra's blackened skull rolled off her shoulders and her bones collapsed on the floor._

_"Robin? Carson? Cyborg? Beast Boy?"_

_"False alarm guys; turns out she's alive. We're gonna have to cancel the funeral."_

_"Somebody!"_

_Carson thrust a long blade the color of fire across the table into Beast Boy's heart. "Mess with my future, will ya?"_

_Raven threw her head back, opened her mouth, and let loose a roar of pitch-black despair. _

_12:01 PM_

Trigon threw his head back, opened his mouth, and let loose a roar of white-hot rage. He wasted no time, as red light sprang from his eyes at the Titans. The attack missed, though the shock from the blast sent the five heroes flying.

Carson regained his balance first, standing steady on his two feet. He looked up at Trigon--_No, Raven_--and grimaced. The face of the girl he had fallen in love with, replaced by a monstrosity...it was beyond what he could stand. And he remembered his plan.

Carson rushed forward. Trigon saw him and thrust a palm down to crush him. The assassin disappeared in a cloak of fire and reappeared on the back of Trigon's hand. He rushed upward, keeping his balance even as Trigon tried to shake him off, sprinted up to Trigon's shoulder, leaped into the air, and let loose a roundhouse kick into the demon's massive chin.

Trigon's head snapped back and Carson fell in freefall down Trigon's torso. He drew his knife and thrust it through the leathery demon hide, slowing his descent, and, with every ounce of strength in his right arm, propelled himself upward, drew his fist back, and landed an uppercut on Trigon's jawbone. Trigon's stumbled backward, but steadied himself on the top of an abandoned building.

Carson was once again in freefall. He enveloped himself in his usual cloak of flames and reappeared on the roof of a nearby building. He gazed out on the battle before him, and caught sight of several projectiles, blue, green, undiscernable, landing deadly blows onto Trigon. He started to sprint forward, but stopped and winced as agony shot through the right side of his body. He collapsed in pain onto his left knee, his right arm and leg limp. Hellgod strength or no, the blows he had landed on Trigon had hurt like hell.

Trigon lashed out at the Titans with his eyebeams, and Carson struggled back to his feet, ignoring the pain it caused him to do so. He took one step forward, then another, picked up speed, and ran as fast as he could, reaching the edge of the building and leaping off the top, straight at Trigon's head.

Trigon turned his attention toward him and growled.

Carson drew ever-closer to Trigon. He drew his revolver, raised it, took aim at the gemstone on the demon's forehead...

Trigon roared.

Carson squinted and began to pull the trigger.

Red light lanced outward, enveloping him in unbearable heat. The blast carried down to the pavement below, and finally erupted in a brilliant haze of red and orange light on the ground.

The four remaining heroes exchanged looks of disbelief, and Trigon, victorious, raised his head to the heavans and bellowed once more.

**Act II**

The grey-skinned, decaying body of Pavayne stumbled across the ruined street, muttering vaguely to himself as he went. With his plans foiled and Trigon unleashed, there was no point stay. _Better to live and fight again, _Pavayne thought bitterly, _then to stay and gloat and die horribly._

The sound of boots crunching on gravel met Pavayen's ears. He stopped suddenly and stood still, ever so still, listening intently for signs of pursuit.

The sign came. A massive axe head hurtled toward his neck. Pavayne ducked just in time and rolled to the side, staggered back to his feet, and saw Krull Kullen, battered and bruised but alive, gripping his axe tightly. "This is your time, Old One," he intoned. "Your death will solidify my place as Lucifer's right hand."

"Do you get off on the sound of your own voice," Pavayne mocked, "Or do you honestly think you're scaring me?"

Krull Kullen roared and charged, swinging his axe in an upward motion. Pavayne easily dodged the cumbersome weapon and drove a knee into Krull Kullen's stomach. The wind left the demon general's lungs and he collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. A kick to the chin knocked him backwards again, and he lay there on his back on the asphalt.

Krull Kullen saw his axe lying, not three feet away. He reached for it in desperation, and watched with fear as Pavayne picked it up instead and held it in his hands. "What now, traitor?" Krull Kullen wheezed. "End my life. Kill me, and let the legions follow."

"As tempting as that sounds...no, I don't believe I shall." Pavayne broke the axe handle over his knee and tossed the pieces in seperate directions.

Krull Kullen blinked, uncertain. "What? Why?"

"Because," Pavayne replied, "I am not finished with you yet." Turning, he began to make his way out of town once again.

Krull Kullen struggled to sit up, wincing as pain exploded in his chest. He tried to speak, but the pain was too intense.

Pavayne noticed his struggle, and sighed. "You see, child," he began, "destiny is an interesting thing. The future is always in motion. For one brief, shining moment, I was certain that my destiny was to take the body of Trigon the Terrible and rule over Hell and Earth for eternity. But," he continued, turning to his fallen adversary, "it seems destiny itself had other plans."

"You, on the other hand, are a slave." He craned his head down at Krull Kullen, his voice thick with contempt. "Doomed forever to serve others. You are weak, Krull Kullen. And one day..." Pavayne squatted down on his haunches, taking Krull Kullen's gaze and holding it. "One day, our two destinies will interlock. I will bring this world to it's knees, and mark my words, you will be there to witness it."

Finding no breath top respond to Pavayne, Krull Kullen instead mustered what saliva he could and spat at Pavayne. The demon summoner smiled a toothy, demon smile, and gave a final kick to Krull Kullen, before turning and, once more, making his way out of the city.

**Act III**

The skull plate of a Tyrannosaurus Rex is harder than solid diamond. So imagine, if you will, the shock Beast Boy felt upon colliding with Trigon's leg and collapsing onto his ass with a migrane.

The Titans had tried. They had thrown everything they had at Trigon. And he still stood.

With a roar, Trigon unleashed a stream of molten energy from his mouth, bearing down on the scattered heroes. The four of them scattered and regrouped around a manhole cover. Robin jammed his broken staff into the manhole and pried the lid off. He jumped in, followed by Cyborg and Starfire, and finally Beast Boy, who gave a last, mournful look at Trigon--at what once was Raven.

And so panting and gasping for breath, the four remaining Teen Titans stood in their shelter and awaited the end.

"I do not understand," Starfire breathed, collapsed on her rear and gasping for breath. "When last we...faced the Trigon, we held our own. What makes...what makes this one...?"

"Because that's not Trigon," Robin answered quietly, leaning on the far wall with his head hung. "It has his face, and his power, but it isn't him. It's more."

"It's beyond what you think," a strained voice said. The four turned their heads to see Carson, silouhetted agains the sun. He stumbled and collapsed into the manhole, groaning as he struck the ground with a thud. His appearence left the Titans in awe. Though alive, his clothes were torn to shreds--a few rags conveniently covered his crotch and upper torso, and the rest of his body was bloodied and scorched. His face hadn't taken a terrible toll, but was still bruised from being buried in rubble.

"What we were fighting up there before we wisely turned tail and started cowering in a sewer was not just Trigon. It was Raven." He struggled to his feat, favoring his left leg greatly. "That may be the literal incarnation of Trigon the Terrible, but a great deal of his power was Raven's, magnified a hundred fold. Combine that with Trigon's powers, and..." He let his arms fall limply at his side. "Hell's a-bustin' out all over."

"So how do we stop it?" Cyborg asked, stepping forward. "We did this before; don't go tellin' us that this time around he's omnipotent."

Carson pursed his lips, fraught with uncertainty, before turning to Robin. "The gemstone. On his forehead. Raven had it, and he has it too. It's where his power, and Raven's power, is contained. Shatter it, and we might win this."

"What happens then?" Beast Boy pressed. "What happens to Trigon? What happens to Raven?"

"I..." Carson lowered his head. "I don't know. Anything, I suppose. It could reverse the process entirely, and bring Raven back, albeit at greatly reduced power. It could simply destroy Trigon and Raven. Or it could destroy the entire city, and take us with it. Or..." He hesitated briefly, then finished. "Or it'll consume this world."

"So in other words," Cyborg grunted, "you don't know shit."

"Basically. But it's all we have to go on." He raised his head and looked at Robin. "It's a crapshoot. If we succeed, praise the Lord, we done good. If it fails, the world ends. And if we do nothing, the world ends anyway." His gaze grew more intense, and despite his battered apperence, he seemed still to be a commanding presence. "Your call...Dick."

Robin shot Carson a look of disgust, and turned back to his team. Taking a deep breath, he spoke. "We fight. One last run, him or us. Just like last time." He looked back at Carson. "Can you pull it off?"

Carson laughed, then groaned from the pain it caused him. "Tried it already, Didn't work out so well. If anybody's gonna pull this off, it's gonna have to be you. It kills me to say it, but...you're the only one who can right now."

Robin stood for a moment, mulling the options in his head. Cyborg could take a shot at it, couldn't he?

Or Starfire, she could just fly up and--no, not Starfire. He'd kill her in a heartbeat.

Beast Boy? Fuck that.

Robin drew a pair of birdarangs from his belt and combined them, forming a longsword. "I guess the fate of the world's in my hands."

"Heaven help us all," Carson sighed.

**Finale**_  
12:50 PM_

Titanic and seemingly unapposed, Trigon the Terrible roared in triumph once more and strode towards the populated areas of the city.

A blast of sonic energy halted his progress. Trigon grunted from the shock of the blast and turned his head to the source of the attack. Below him stood the four Teen Titans and their mercenary ally.

"You're sure about this?" Cyborg asked Robin quietly. "One of us could always do it."

Robin nodded solomnly. "It's my responsibility. If anybody here's going to die, it ought to be me."

Starfire gazed at him, her eyes swimming with tears. "Robin..."

"Relax, red." Carson limped next to the leader of the Titans, clutching his knife in his left hand, his right arm hanging limply at his side. "Your boyfriend's a martyr--who knows, they may even name a sandwich after him. Or some other kind of meal--I'm pretty partial to 'Chicken Cor-robin-don Bleu."

"If you think you're being clever," Beast Boy said through gritted teeth, "you're not."

"More clever than you, smartass."

Robin smiled a thin, desperate smile. Still keeping things light after everything that had happened.

He twirled the sword in his hand and held it in front of him in a one-handed grip. And he gave, perhaps for the last time, his legendary battlecry.

"Teen Titans, GO!"

Immediately, Trigon lashed at them with his eyebeams. The Titans scattared, Robin charging forward, while Carson hung to the back, still exhausted from his earlier bout with the demon. The other three had gone in opposite directions.

Starfire took to the air, grabbing Robin in mid flight and taking him into the air. Beast Boy followed suit in pterydactl form, clutching Cyborg in his talons. The shoulders of the hulking man of metal opened and a stream of missiles soared through the air, colliding with Trigon's massive body.

The feral demon could do little but screetch in pain at the onslaught. He was powerful, true, and he did dwarf every one of his opponents, but their strength lay in their small size and numbers. Overconfident, assured of his victory, Trigon allowed their little attacks, as he swatted at the pesky orange gnat buzzing around at his head, unaware that even gnats could sting.

Starfire weaved in and out of Trigon's strikes, keeping a solid grip on Robin. Every now and then, an opening appeared in Trigon's defense, and she would make her way to it, throwing Robin straight at his destination. Each time, Trigon responded with eyebeams, or molten lava spewed form his mouth, and Starfire would have to dart in quickly and rescue Robin each and every time.

Trigon was bellowing in frustration as he swatted the air around his head wildly. Never one to be intimidated, Starfire refused to back down. Her zeal and energy kept her going, but frustration and fatigue mounted, and the squirming package in her arms was growing annoyed at the lack of progress. The other Titans' efforts, though valient, failed to distract Trigon's attention long enough for Robin to make the killing blow.

From the street, gazing up at the battle before them, Carson could only wonder at how the fuck they had pulled this off last time. The pain in the right side of his body was unbearable. Add to it the fact that he couldn't fly, had no sort of projectile attack, and was still jokingly referring to himself as Cajun Pan-Blackened Carson, and he was in a very low place right now.

Trigon was going to win, of that he had no doubt. And he was powerless to stop it.

The feeling of anger, of self-hatrid at being able to do nothing, bubbled within him. _If only I had the power, _he was thinking, _if only I had more, more power, more--_

**But you do, **a second voice cooed. **That power was rightfully yours, and it has been reclaimed.**

_That power does not make me who I am! _Carson yelled inwardly at the unwelcome guest.

**Come now, if it isn't who you are, then who are you? **The voice was cultured, well-mannered...Carson recognized it well. **What do you think you were created for, Carson? You are my vessel. Without me, you had no purpose. **

Carson shut his eyes tightly. _That...that isn't true! I...I'm not..._

**Your life, as it was, is over, Carson Elam. You are a vessel once more. Embrace my power. Let me shine forth through you. Through you, I can bring about the end of Trigon. I can give you your vengence against the Titans. Together, we can slay the fool Pavayne, and return to Hell victorious. We can rule together over the legions of the Hellfire. **

_...I..._

**You really have no choice in the matter, one way or another. Surrender. You are a body, and nothing more.**

Slowly, Carson's eyes opened. Hazel-green eyes took in the world again.

And in a clear voice, he gave his response.

"No."

**What?**

And rather than opening himself to the power, Carson opened the power to him. He delved into it, immersed himself in it, quashing the Hellgod's will under his own.

**_You shall not claim me for your own. You shall be mine to command, not vice-versa. Your power is MY power now._**

Carson's eyes darkened, ever so slightly, but retained their natural color. **_I shall bend you to my will._**

The pain was gone. It was replaced by hunger. A need to destroy. To kill.

To conquer.

Taken aback, Carson shook his head violently. His eyes cleared. Once again, he beheld the battle before him. The Titans were rapidly loosing ground. Within moments, it would be over.

_Resist. Do not let it take hold._

He inhaled, slowly, exhaled sharply. His mind was clear. The pain was gone. The hunger faded.

He was in control.

And, testing his newfound power, he charged straight at Trigon.

The demon payed little heed to the defeated assassin. Big mistake.

Carson leaped into the air and delivered a crushing kick to Trigon's ankle. Trigon stumbled, barely remaining on his feet, turned his head to Carson, and unleashed a scorching round of eyebeams.

The beams incinerated everything in their path, yet Carson withstood the blow. Standing there, literally smoldering, clearly pained but choosing to ignore it, he filled his lungs with air and bellowed a warcry at Trigon.

"Knock him on his back!" he shouted to the Titans. "We can still win this!"

Starfire looked down at the man she cradled in her arms, at Robin. He nodded, gave her a small smile, and jerked his head upward. Starfire understood. She returned the smile, drew back her arms, and flung Robin into the air. He landed, quite safely, on the roof of an old building. His turn to watch.

And the final onslaught came. Sonic cannons on both of Cyborg's arms activated. Soft beeping could be heard from either arm. A red light on his arms flashed: "WARNING: POWER TRANSFER UNSAFE."

He smirked. _Three...two..._

The shock sent him flying backward several feet, as two massive blasts of sonic energy collided with Trigon's chest. He stumbled backward, regained his balance, and roared back at Cyborg, both pairs of eyes glowing red.

Then he stumbled back once more, as a flurry of green starbolts pummeled him with renewed fury. Starfire unleashed wave after wave of starbolts, hurling them like a gatling gun. Panting heavily, she drew her arms back, let the energy gather in her palms, thrust them forward, and delivered a brilliant blast of pure energy, striking Trigon in the same spot as the sonic cannons had.

Trigon staggered, then felt something pulling him backward--by the hair, no less. How humiliating.

Beast Boy, in pterydactl form, tugged Trigon backward, pulling with every ounce of strength he had. The demon was struggling to remain on his feet, barely staving off collapse.

Starfire swooped down, grabbed Carson by the arm, and flung him straight at Trigon, straight at his chest, at the same spot she and Cyborg had struck. Trigon saw him coming, ground his teeth together, opened his mouth, and, conjuring every last bit of strength he could, unleashed a final desperate attack at the young assassin.

White light, and white hot heat, enveloped him. Unbearable, hot-as-hell heat. Carson felt the shield of the Hellgod's power fading, dropping--he was going to burn.

And then he was surrounded by something he had never felt before, something warm and cool at the same time. It was a remarkable feeling.

He felt renewed strength and vigor. And he swore he saw a dainty, pale hand stretch out to take his.

And he heard the voice of his unrequited love.

_"Go."_

Carson passed straight through the blast, to the shock of the dumbfounded Trigon.

Robin saw, took one last deep breath, and sprinted off the roof of the building.

Carson hurtled straight at Trigon. Time seemed to slow, to nearly stop. And he twirled, backward, in midair, extended his foot, and, putting every bit of the Hellgod's strength he could muster into this one blow, let his foot collide with Trigon's chest.

Trigon roared for what must have been the eightieth time that day. And finally, he stumbled, tipped backward, and toppled onto the ground.

He opened his eyes, one last time, and beheld the sight of something clad in green and red, lost in the glare of the sun, falling straight at him.

Sword outstretched, legs bent, Robin landed on Trigon's forehead. The blade sunk into the gemstone on the demon's forehead.

Trigon let loose one final roar of defiance, as light shone from the gemstone, enveloping him and Robin.

It grew, expanded, and covered the entire city.

And there was nothing but light. Bright, white light as far as the eye could see.

Light. And nothing else.


	16. Epilogue: All the Time in the World

**RR76: **All A/Ns will be saved till the end of the story.

Yes, I see the irony in that statement.

* * *

For the longest time, there was nothing. Nothing but white. White light, coating everything, every inch of the city.

And then there was silence_  
_

* * *

_ 1:11 PM  
_

* * *

The doors of Titan's Tower swung open. In limped six figures, all bruised, all beaten...all victorious.

Raven, with her leader's cape drawn closely over her nude form, quivering, yet standing on her own, slowly paced her way into the main hall of the Tower. Her friends, respectfully hanging to the back, followed after her.

The doors to the Tower closed. Fluorescent lights blinked on overhead, bathing the occupents in light. Tired and battle-worn, the six of them breathed a collective sigh of relief. It was over, at last.

Beast Boy was the first to speak. "Is there anything we can get for you Raven? Food, tea...anything?"

The girl shook her head slowly, shivering under her minimal clothing. "N-no, thank you..."

"You sure?" Cyborg asked. "Anything you want, we can get you."

Beast Boy snapped his fingers and turned to his comrades, his trademark grin plastered on his face. "Hey--what about pizza? Nothin' says 'Yea team,' like a plate of veggie pizza!"

"And nothing says 'Shut the hell up Beast Boy,' like a lead slug up your--"

"I just-" The argument ceaced abruptly as both participents locked their eyes on Raven. "Just...want to go to my room. Slip into something a little less naked." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and fled the room, heading for the elevator.

With Raven gone, the four remaining Titans fixed their gazes on Carson. With a nervous chuckle, Carson spoke. "I, uh, suppose you guys want an explaination."

The others gave no reply--their eyes spoke volumes.

"Guess that's a yes," Carson sighed. "Best I get started then."

"You all know what happened two years ago. I came back here and made certain that Terra was good and dead." A muscle in Beast Boy's face twitched at the memory, and Cyborg gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"With her gone, I made my exit. Unfortunately, my...employer...skipped out on his end of the deal. After that I was set upon by two of your guys. Beast Boy suffered, Raven defeated me." He considered for a moment. "Absorbed would be the correct word, I think."

"Anyway, so for the next year, I was more or less nonexistent. Three months and fourteen days ago, though, my conciousness reasserted itself, in no small part due to Cassius Pavayne's influence. With him in the picture again, I weighed my options, and figured that stopping Pavayne from his Ascension was more important than whatever revenge plan I had thought up. The rest," he finished, "is history."

"That's not all," Robin pressed. "You're not giving us the whole story."

"What do you want, a sworn affidavit?" Carson snapped. "That's how it went down, Robin. I don't care what the hell you think, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it."

Robin briefly considered pursuing the issue further. Instead, he heaved a sigh and collapsed in one of the chairs lining the entrance hall. "So what now?" he asked. "Do you leave quietly, or do we have to throw you out on your ass?"

"I'm for that last one," Beast Boy interjected.

"As am I."

"Ditto."

Carson glared at each of the Titans individually. "If you want me gone, I'll leave. If you want to make an issue of it--and I KNOW you will--I'll defend myself. Honestly though, I don't see why it should come to that."

"Really," Robin snapped, leaping back to his feet. "So let me spell it out for you: You lied your way into our home and tried to murder us. You've killed God-knows-how-many people, and you have an FBI profile the size and volume of Paris Hilton's vagina, and yet you have the audacity to come back into our home expecting forgiveness.

The remnants of Carson's calm demeanor began to melt away. "It's only fair. After all, you were worshipping Terra within hours of her trying to kill you all, and all she did was save an empty city."

"That city is our home!" Starfire was on her feet now, eyes blazing.

"And that girl," Carson said coolly, returning her gaze, "is your friend. Do the math ladies and gentlemen, and whatever the hell Beast Boy is, which is more important?"

"As if you honestly cared about her," Robin growled. His gloved hands balled into fists. "All you want is your fucking money."

"All I want is to be on my way." Carson's face was set in thin frown, his rage barely contained. "I don't want to have to put another bullet in your girl, but if you make me--"

In the blink of an eye, Robin lashed out with his right fist and smashed Carson across the jaw. Starfire's eyes and hands were blazing green, with Cyborg and Beast Boy right behind her, ready to pounce on Carson in a heartbeat.

To their immense shock (and on some level, disappointment) Carson didn't make any sudden movements. His repitoire of weaponry went unused. He simply laughed softly. He brought his head back to eye level, fixed his gaze with Robin's once more, and said "You hit like a girl."

In a quiet voice, so that only he and Carson could hear him, Robin played his hand. "At least I can keep one."

Snap.

Carson's left fist buried itself in Robin's stomach, and his right caught him across the cheek, sending him to the floor clutching at himself. A lithe Starfire hurled a pair of starbolts in his direction, with Cyborg's sonic cannon discharging moments later. Carson ducked under the starbolts, rolled away from the cannon, and drew his revolver, setting Starfire's head firmly in his sights.

"Obviously, this is a bad time."

All eyes turned to the stairway, where Raven, in her normal garb, stood wide-eyed, jaw slightly agape.

Carson's mouth worked itself open and closed, trying to come up with an excuse.

Starfire's eyes faded back to normal.

Cyborg powered down his cannon and looked away in embarrassment.

Robin moaned and clutched his stomach.

Beast Boy just looked at Raven, ears drooping.

Carson broke the silence. "To hell with this, and to hell with you all." With a last quick glance in Raven's direction, he turned and strode out the front door. A moment later, a flash of bright orange illuminated the dimly lit tower interior, and he was gone.

Raven folded her arms under her breasts, frowning. "You realize, each and every one of you owe him your lives right now, right?"

Her friends could come up with no answer.

Exasperated, Raven, sighed and turned. "If anybody has anything to say, I'll be upstairs."

Starfire leaped to Robin's side and helped him to his feet, letting him lean on her for support. "Shall we pursue him?"

Robin gazed out the open doors. "No...no, let him run. Let him hide. It's only a matter of time 'till he gets what's coming to him."

Disengaging himself from Starfire, he turned and made his way up the stairs. "He's got all the time in the world."

* * *

_ 1:41 PM _

* * *

_  
Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos...Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos...Azarath--_

"Umm...hey."

Raven's eyes opened. "Funny. I didn't notice you come up." A cool breeze blew her hair past her face, and she pulled her cloak closet for warmth.

With an almost comical air of nervousness about him, Beast Boy walked carefully to Raven's side. "I, uh...something Carson said before the end of the battle...that if we got you back, your powers might not be..."

"Intact? It's okay, really." Raven looked up at him and smiled a genuine smile. "They'll come back to me in a few weeks...deadly emotions at all. I'm just enjoying the time I have without them."

Beast Boy took a seat next to her, legs dangling from the lip of the Tower's rooftop. "C'mon Raven, I've seen you smile before."

"Not just that." She touched his cheek and he turned to face her, his eyes meeting hers. "Once they come back, I'll be the same Raven I was before, with the sarcasm, the dark poetry, the hideous gemstone..."

"Don't be like that." Beast Boy nervously edged himself closer to Raven. "Part of the reason I was so, um...attracted to you...was that additude. You're a mystery, Raven. I liked that."

Raven's smile returned. "Thank you. You're sweet."

Beast Boy mirrored her expression. "Besides," he said, tenderly stroking Raven's forehead with his forefinger, "I always thought the gemstone was cute."

Raven chuckled. She couldn't help it.

Beast Boy laughed again. His eyes were still locked with hers.

The two inched together. Their eyes closed again.

Their lips met. And slowly, savoring the moment, they shared their second kiss. It was different from the first, the one they had shared in the confines of Raven's subconcious. The first was rushed and ill-timed, due to the rigors of battle. This one, they would savor. After all, they had all day.

They parted, after what seemed like hours, and Raven, to Beast Boy's surprise, huddled next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, letting him draw her closer into his embrace with his arm.

They were like that for a long time.

"Raven?"

"Mm?"

"Remember how you promised to take us out for pizza?"

"Mm...maybe later."

"Moment, don't ruin. Check."

Raven smiled again. Pizza could wait. They had all day.

For now, she was happy. They were right, Robin and Cyborg and Starfire...and Carson...things had turned out perfectly.

And for the first time in one hundred and three days, Raven was perfectly content.

She had all the time in the world.

* * *

"In other words," It said, narrowing It's eyes, "you failed me."

Krull Kullen bowed his head further. "I...I offer penance, my lord."

"Penance?" It spat the word like a curse and stood upright from It's throne. "You ought to lay down your life."

"I..." Mustering his courage, Krull Kullen swallowed and said "It could not be helped, milord. Even without the power of the Gem and the Hellgod at his disposal, Cassius Pavayne is--"

"Excuses," It snorted.

"--a difficult opponent. And especially with the child free, I don't think that--"

"Child?" It looked down at Krull Kullen with curiosity. "Explain."

Krull Kullen blinked in confusion. "The...the child, milord. The vessel for the Hellgod."

It's eyes widened briefly, and It looked up from It's groveling servant. "Vessel for the Hellgod..."

And just like that, It's mood completely changed. "Rise, my servant. You need not die."

Krull Kullen, confused but no less pleased at this development, stood and beheld his master once again. "Milord?"

"You have brought me good news," It said casually, taking It's throne once more, "and I do appreciate good news now and then, especially in these times. So in light of these developments, coupled with a lack of decent help nowadays, you have earned your life back, as well as a place as my right hand. Is that clear?"

Krull Kullen, giddy, smiled a toothy, demonic smile and nodded. "Aye, milord."

"Excellent." It folded It's hands together, contemplating. "Now, leave my sight. I must think on this."

Not wanting to push his luck, Krull Kullen turned and marched out from the hall, letting the door slam behind him.

The lord of that great hall closed It's eyes, It's mind swimming with thoughts. So many developments. So much to handle.

But It could work through it. It had planned this from the start. And It would surely not be disappointed.

After all...It had all the time in the world.

* * *

**RR76: **This story was published on July Seventh, 2005. It took exactly one year, two months and twenty-three days to complete, due to my laziness between chapters 12 and 13. It was typed on three different computors in three different houses, and has seen two different color schemes of the logo.

Damn, I'm good.

It has been my extreme pleasure to bring this story to you, and I thank you for reading it. The next in the series will be up in mid-October.

Once again...thank you to everybody for making this story a success.

And MOD, if you're reading...thanks to you too. You've brought a smile to my face.

_-RR76  
11:53 PM  
9/30/06_


End file.
